Where does “Spencer” come from?
Spencer comes from Middle English spenser, derived from Old French espensier, a term for a person who dispensed or managed provisions.
Spencer (English): A placename
Definitions
- A placename
Ancestry of “Spencer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | Spenser | — |
| 2 | Middle English | spenser | spencer |
| 3 | Old French | espensier | — |
| 4 | Latin | dispensare | present active infinitive of dispēnsō;... |
| 5 | Latin | dispendere | to weight out; weigh out; to weigh out |
| 6 | Latin | pendēre | — |
| 7 | Latin | pendō | to weigh, weigh out |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | pendō | hang, put in a hanging position |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)péndeti | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pend- | to stretch |