Where does “spadeful” come from?
spadeful (English) comes from English spade, from Italian spade, from Italian spata, from Latin spatha, from Ancient Greek σπάθη, from Proto-Indo-European sph₂-dʰ-.
spadeful (English): The amount held by a spade at once. A shovelful
Definitions
- The amount held by a spade at once. A shovelful
Ancestry of “spadeful”, step by step
spadeful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English spade
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spade | A garden tool with a handle and a flat blade for... |
| 2 | Italian | spade | plural of spada |
| 3 | Italian | spata | spathe |
| 4 | Latin | spatha | spatula, spattle; spatha; a long, two-edged,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | σπάθη | any broad blade, of wood or metal |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sph₂-dʰ- | — |
via English ful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ful | — |