Where does “spoorweg” come from?

spoorweg (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch spoorweg, from Dutch spoor, from Middle Dutch spor, from Old Dutch spor, from Proto-West Germanic *spor, from Proto-Germanic spurą, from Proto-Indo-European sperH- — to kick.

spoorweg (Afrikaans): railway, railroad

Definitions

  1. railway, railroad

Ancestry of “spoorweg”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchspoorwegrailway
2Dutchspoortrack; railway track; trace
3Middle Dutchspor—
4Old Dutchsportrack, trace
5Proto-West Germanic*spor—
6Proto-Germanicspurątrack
7Proto-Indo-EuropeansperH-to kick
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sperH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic spurą →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *spor →