Where does “dwaalspoor” come from?

dwaalspoor (Dutch) comes 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.

dwaalspoor (Dutch): wrong track

Definitions

  1. wrong track

Ancestry of “dwaalspoor”, step by step

dwaalspoor traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch spoor

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchspoortrack; railway track; trace
2Middle Dutchspor—
3Old Dutchsportrack, trace
4Proto-West Germanic*spor—
5Proto-Germanicspurątrack
6Proto-Indo-EuropeansperH-to kick

via Dutch dwalen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchdwalento stray, wander
2Middle Dutchdwalen—
3Old Dutchdwalonto stray, wander
4Proto-GermanicdwalōnąTo withhold; hesitate; delay
5Proto-Indo-EuropeandʰwelH-to whirl, swirl, blur, obfuscate; to make turbid
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sperH- →