Where does “spelbederver” come from?
spelbederver (Dutch) comes from Dutch spel, from Middle Dutch spellen, from Old Dutch spellon, from Proto-Germanic spellōną, from Proto-Germanic spellą, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pel- — to split in two, split in half; to speak with a...
spelbederver (Dutch): a spoilsport, a killjoy
Definitions
- a spoilsport, a killjoy
Ancestry of “spelbederver”, step by step
spelbederver traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
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... |
via Dutch bederven
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | bederven | to spoil, to go off, to go bad; to make worse; to... |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | bederven | to ruin, to kill; to damage, to destroy; to... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | derban | to labor; to perish |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | derbaną | to work; to perish |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰerHbʰ- | to work, perish, die |