Where does “spioeneer” come from?
spioeneer (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch spioneren, from French espionner, from French espion, from Middle French espion, from Old French espion, from Frankish *spehō, from Frankish spehōn, from Proto-Germanic spehōną — to see, to look, to observe.
spioeneer (Afrikaans): to spy on
Definitions
- to spy on
Ancestry of “spioeneer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | spioneren | to spy, to perform espionage |
| 2 | French | espionner | to spy |
| 3 | French | espion | spy |
| 4 | Middle French | espion | — |
| 5 | Old French | espion | spy |
| 6 | Frankish | *spehō | — |
| 7 | Frankish | spehōn | to spy, watch; to peer, to look, to spy |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | spehōną | to peer, look, spy |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |