Where does “ballenspel” come from?
ballenspel (Dutch) comes from Dutch bal, from Middle Dutch bal, from Old Dutch bal, from Frankish ball, from Northern Sami bállu, from Northern Sami ballát, from Proto-Samic pëlājëtēk, from Proto-Samic pëlëtēk — to fear.
ballenspel (Dutch): A ballgame played with multiple balls, notably...
Definitions
- A ballgame played with multiple balls, notably...
Ancestry of “ballenspel”, step by step
ballenspel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch bal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | bal | a ball or any object with such a shape; testicle,... |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | bal | ball (round object), sphere |
| 3 | Old Dutch | bal | — |
| 4 | Frankish | ball | — |
| 5 | Northern Sami | bállu | testicle, ball |
| 6 | Northern Sami | ballát | to become scared |
| 7 | Proto-Samic | pëlājëtēk | to become scared |
| 8 | Proto-Samic | pëlëtēk | to fear |
| 9 | Proto-Uralic | pele- | to fear |
via Dutch spel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | spel | game; playing |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | spellen | to explain; to spell, to predict; to mean, to... |
| 3 | Old Dutch | spellon | to explain |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | spellōną | to talk, tell, recount |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | spellą | news, message; tale, story |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pel- | to split in two, split in half; to speak with a... |