Where does “spookwoord” come from?
spookwoord (Dutch) comes from Dutch woord, from Middle Dutch wort, from Old Dutch wort, from Proto-West Germanic word, from Proto-Germanic wurdą, from Proto-Indo-European werdʰo-, from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- — to speak, say.
spookwoord (Dutch): ghost word
Ancestry of “spookwoord”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | woord | word |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | wort | word; diction, what someone says or writes;... |
| 3 | Old Dutch | wort | word |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | word | word |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wurdą | word |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | werdʰo- | word |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | werh₁- | to speak, say |