Where does “spiel” come from?

Spiel comes from German Spiel, from Middle High German spil, from Old High German spil, from Proto-West Germanic spil, of uncertain ultimate origin.

spiel (English): A lengthy and extravagant speech or argument...

Definitions

  1. A lengthy and extravagant speech or argument...

Ancestry of “spiel”, step by step

spiel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German spiel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanspiela game instance or way of playing
2Middle High Germanspil—
3Old High Germanspil—
4Proto-West Germanicspildance; game, exercise

via Scots spiel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scotsspielgame, play; curling match
2Middle Low Germanspel—
3Old Saxonspil—

Words derived from “spiel”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic spil →
spiel — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer