Where does “spøge” come from?

spøge (Danish) comes from Middle Low German spȫken, from Middle English spok, from Dutch spook, from Middle Dutch spooc, from Middle Dutch spoke, from Proto-Germanic spōk — spook, ghost, apparition; witchcraft, wizardry.

spøge (Danish): to joke, jest; to haunt, ghost

Definitions

  1. to joke, jest; to haunt, ghost

Ancestry of “spøge”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germanspȫken—
2Middle EnglishspokAlternative form of spoke
3Dutchspookphantom, ghost; horror, terror; an annoying and...
4Middle Dutchspoocapparition, ghost; spook, ghost
5Middle Dutchspoke—
6Proto-Germanicspōkspook, ghost, apparition; witchcraft, wizardry
Every word from Proto-Germanic spōk →Every word from Middle Dutch spoke →Every word from Middle Dutch spooc →