Where does “specke” come from?

specke (English) comes from Middle English spike, from Old Norse spík, from Proto-Germanic spiką, from Proto-Indo-European spēy- — to stretch; thrive; succeed.

Ancestry of “specke”, step by step

specke traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English spike

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishspike—
2Old Norsespíkspike, sprig
3Proto-Germanicspikąbacon
4Proto-Indo-Europeanspēy-to stretch; thrive; succeed

via Middle English spik

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishspik—
2Latinspīcaa head, ear, spike
3Proto-Italicspeikā—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanspey-sharp point, stick

via Middle English spich

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishspich—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European spēy- →Every word from Proto-Germanic spiką →Every word from Old Norse spík →
specke — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer