'Cut' appeared from Scandinavian and abruptly displaced all native Old English verbs for cutting.
To use a sharp instrument to divide, sever, or penetrate something; to reduce or diminish.
From Middle English 'cutten,' of uncertain but likely Scandinavian origin, possibly from Old Norse *kuta or a related North Germanic form, cognate with Swedish dialect 'kuta' (to cut with a knife) and Norwegian 'kuta' (to cut). The word abruptly replaced the native Old English verbs 'ceorfan' (to carve) and 'snīþan' (to cut), which had dominated for centuries. Its sudden appearance in the 13th century with no Old English predecessor strongly suggests a borrowing
Despite being one of the most basic English verbs, 'cut' has no known Old English ancestor. It appears suddenly in the 13th century, likely a Norse import that completely supplanted the native Old English 'ceorfan' (ancestor of 'carve') and 'snīþan' — one of the most dramatic hostile takeovers in English vocabulary history.