Where does “spade” come from?
Spade comes from Middle English spade, from Old English spadu, from Proto-Germanic spadō, from Proto-Indo-European sph₂-dʰ-, a root of uncertain meaning related to digging or splitting tools.
spade (English): A garden tool with a handle and a flat blade for...
Definitions
- A garden tool with a handle and a flat blade for...
Ancestry of “spade”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | spade | plural of spada |
| 2 | Italian | spata | spathe |
| 3 | Latin | spatha | spatula, spattle; spatha; a long, two-edged,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | σπάθη | any broad blade, of wood or metal |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sph₂-dʰ- | — |
Words derived from “spade”