Where does “span” come from?
Span derives from Middle English spannen, from Old English spannan, from Proto-Germanic spannaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend-, ultimately from the root (s)penh₁-.
span (English): The space from the thumb to the end of the little...
Definitions
- The space from the thumb to the end of the little...
Ancestry of “span”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | span | Alternative form of spanne |
| 2 | Old English | spann | span |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | spann | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | spinnaną | to spin |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pénh₁-ne- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)penh₁- | to twist; to weave |
Words derived from “span”