Where does “spinster” come from?
spinster (Dutch) comes from Dutch ster, from French étoile, from Middle French estoile, from Old French estoile, from Latin stēla, from Latin stēlla, from Proto-Italic stērolā, from Proto-Indo-European h₂stḗr — to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth.
spinster (Dutch): a female spinner
Definitions
- a female spinner
Ancestry of “spinster”, step by step
spinster traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch ster
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | ster | star; any luminous astronomical or meteorological... |
| 2 | French | étoile | star; mullet; a white mark on the forehead of a... |
| 3 | Middle French | estoile | star |
| 4 | Old French | estoile | star |
| 5 | Latin | stēla | column, pillar |
| 6 | Latin | stēlla | a star; a constellation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | stērolā | star |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂stḗr | star |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eHs- | to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth |
via Dutch spinnen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | spinnen | to spin: make yarn by twisting and winding fibres... |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | spinnen | to spin, to make yarn by twisting and winding... |
| 3 | Old Dutch | spinnan | to spin |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | spinnan | to spin |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | spinnaną | to spin |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pénh₁-ne- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)penh₁- | to twist; to weave |