Where does “counterespionage” come from?
counterespionage (English) comes from English espionage, from French espionnage, from French espionner, from French espion, from Middle French espion, from Old French espion, from Frankish *spehō, from Frankish spehōn — to see, to look, to observe.
counterespionage (English): All those activities undertaken to neutralize or...
Definitions
- All those activities undertaken to neutralize or...
Ancestry of “counterespionage”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | espionage | The act or process of learning secret information... |
| 2 | French | espionnage | espionage; spying |
| 3 | French | espionner | to spy |
| 4 | French | espion | spy |
| 5 | Middle French | espion | — |
| 6 | Old French | espion | spy |
| 7 | Frankish | *spehō | — |
| 8 | Frankish | spehōn | to spy, watch; to peer, to look, to spy |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | spehōną | to peer, look, spy |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |