Where does “spoorweg” come from?

spoorweg (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.

spoorweg (Dutch): railway

Definitions

  1. railway

Ancestry of “spoorweg”, step by step

spoorweg 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 weg

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchwegway, road; away; gone, disappeared
2Middle Dutchwechway, road, path; journey; direction, approach
3Old Dutchwegway, path
4Proto-West Germanicwegway, road
5Proto-Germanicwēgazwave; sea
6Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport

Words derived from “spoorweg”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sperH- →
spoorweg — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer