Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spend” come from?

Spend comes from Middle English spenden, from Old English spendan, from Proto-West Germanic spendōn, from Latin expendere, composed of the prefix ex- and an unattested root.

spend (English): To pay out; To bestow; to employ; often with "on"...

Definitions

  1. To pay out; To bestow; to employ; often with "on"...

Ancestry of “spend”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishspenden—
2Old Englishspendanto spend
3Proto-West Germanicspendōnto spend
4Latinexpendō—
5Latinpendō—
6Proto-Italicpendōhang, put in a hanging position
7Proto-Indo-European(s)péndeti—
8Proto-Indo-European(s)pend-to stretch

Words derived from “spend”

  • overspend
  • spendable
  • outspend
  • spendest
  • spendeth
  • underspend
  • spendy
  • spendaholic
  • overspender
  • unspendable
  • respend
  • spendability
  • spendocrat
  • bespend
  • unspend
  • spendathon
  • spendworthy
  • forespend
  • ovaspen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend- →