Where does “spearhead” come from?
Spearhead comes from Middle English spere-hed, combining Middle English spere from Old English hēafod and Latin sphaera from Ancient Greek σφαῖρα, ultimately from Ancient Greek σπαίρω.
spearhead (English): The pointed head, or end, of a spear; One who...
Definitions
- The pointed head, or end, of a spear; One who...
Ancestry of “spearhead”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | spere-hed | A spearhead; the point of a spear; A kind of... |
| 2 | Middle English | spere | A spear or lance; The Lance of Longinus; A barb... |
| 3 | Old French | sphere | sphere shape |
| 4 | Latin | sphēra | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | σφαῖρα | ball, globe, sphere |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -ειδής | like, connected to, from the nature of, full of;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |