Where does “spearshaft” come from?
spearshaft (English) comes from Middle English spere schaft, from Middle English spere, from Old French sphere, from Latin sphēra, from Ancient Greek σφαῖρα, from Ancient Greek -ειδής, from Ancient Greek -ής, from Proto-Indo-European -ēs — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
spearshaft (English): The shaft of a spear
Ancestry of “spearshaft”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | spere schaft | The shaft of a spear; Such a shaft used as a... |
| 2 | Middle English | spere | A spear or lance; The Lance of Longinus; A barb... |
| 3 | Old French | sphere | sphere |
| 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;... |