Where does “spare” come from?

spare (Danish) comes from English spare, from Middle English spare, from Old English spær, from Proto-Germanic sparaz, from Proto-Indo-European sper- — to fidget, twitch; to push; to be quick; to...

spare (Danish): spare; to save; to spare

Definitions

  1. spare; to save; to spare

Ancestry of “spare”, step by step

spare traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English spare

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspareScant; not abundant or plentiful; Sparing;...
2Middle Englishspare—
3Old Englishspærscanty
4Proto-Germanicsparazsparing, frugal
5Proto-Indo-Europeansper-to fidget, twitch; to push; to be quick; to...

via Old Norse spara

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsespara—
2Proto-Germanicsparānąto be thrifty; be conservative; be sparing

Words derived from “spare”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sper- →Every word from Proto-Germanic sparaz →Every word from Old English spær →