Where does “spell” come from?
Spell comes from Old English spell, derived from a Proto-Indo-European root spel- meaning to speak or recite.
spell (English): Words or a formula supposed to have magical...
Definitions
- Words or a formula supposed to have magical...
Ancestry of “spell”, step by step
spell traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French espeler
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | espeler | to call; to cry out; to shout; to explain; to... |
| 2 | Old French | espelir | — |
| 3 | Frankish | spelôn | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | spellōną | to talk, tell, recount |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | spellą | news, message; tale, story |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pel- | to split in two, split in half; to speak with a... |