Where does “espial” come from?

espial (English) comes from Middle English espiaille, from Old French espier, from Vulgar Latin spiare, from Frankish spehōn, from Proto-Germanic spehōną, from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- — to see, to look, to observe.

espial (English): Act of noticing or observing; The fact of...

Definitions

  1. Act of noticing or observing; The fact of...

Ancestry of “espial”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishespiaille—
2Old Frenchespierto watch
3Vulgar Latinspiarepresent active infinitive of *spiō
4Frankishspehōnto spy, watch; to peer, to look, to spy
5Proto-Germanicspehōnąto peer, look, spy
6Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe

Words derived from “espial”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic spehōną →Every word from Frankish spehōn →
espial — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer