Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “space” come from?

Space comes from Middle English space, from Old French space, from Latin spatium, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European speh₁-.

space (English): "Of time."; "Unlimited or generalized extent,...

Definitions

  1. "Of time."; "Unlimited or generalized extent,...

Ancestry of “space”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishspace—
2Old Frenchespacespace; room; duration
3LatinspatiumSpace, room, extent; Distance between points; A...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanspéh₁-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanspeh₁-to succeed, to prosper

Words derived from “space”

  • spacing
  • namespace
  • spacecraft
  • workspace
  • aerospace
  • airspace
  • spacetime
  • spaceship
  • spacer
  • subspace
  • tablespace
  • spaceflight
  • spaceport
  • hyperspace
  • headspace
  • interspace
  • spaceman
  • spaceplane
  • spacial
  • userspace
  • battlespace
  • spaceborne
  • spaceless
  • backspace
Every word from Proto-Indo-European speh₁- →