Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “speld” come from?

speld (English) comes from Middle English speld, from Old English speld, from Proto-Germanic speldą, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pel- — to split in two, split in half; to speak with a...

speld (English): A chip of wood; a splinter; To split

Definitions

  1. A chip of wood; a splinter; To split

Ancestry of “speld”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishspeld—
2Old Englishspeldsplinter; a thin piece of wood used as a torch;...
3Proto-Germanicspeldąa split or broken piece of wood; splinter; board
4Proto-Indo-European(s)pel-to split in two, split in half; to speak with a...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pel- →