Where does “spear” come from?
Spear comes from Middle English spere, Old English spere, Latin sphaera, and Ancient Greek σφαῖρα, ultimately derived from the Greek verb σπαίρω meaning to swell or expand.
spear (English): A long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon...
Definitions
- A long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon...
Ancestry of “spear”, step by step
spear traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English spere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | spere | A spear or lance; The Lance of Longinus; A barb... |
| 2 | Old French | sphere | sphere shape |
| 3 | Latin | sphēra | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | σφαῖρα | ball, globe, sphere |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ειδής | like, connected to, from the nature of, full of;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |
via Middle English spear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | spear | Alternative form of spere |
via Middle English sperre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | sperre | Alternative form of spere |