Where does “wespenspin” come from?
wespenspin (Dutch) comes from Dutch wesp, from Modern Dutch wespe, from Middle Dutch wespe, from Old Dutch wespa, from Proto-West Germanic wapsu, from Proto-Germanic wepsō-, from Proto-Indo-European wobʰséh₂, from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- — to weave, braid.
Ancestry of “wespenspin”, step by step
wespenspin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch wesp
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | wesp | wasp, used certain members of the order... |
| 2 | Modern Dutch | wespe | — |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | wespe | — |
| 4 | Old Dutch | wespa | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wapsu | wasp |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wepsō- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wobʰséh₂ | wasp |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | webʰ- | to weave, braid |
via Dutch spin
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | spin | spider, member of the order Araneae; particle... |
| 2 | English | spin | To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction |
| 3 | Middle English | spinnen | To spin or convert fibre into yarn; To make... |
| 4 | Old English | 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 |