Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spin” come from?

Spin comes from Middle English spinnen, from Old English spinnan, from Proto-Germanic spinnaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pénh₂-ne-, ultimately from the root (s)penh₁-.

spin (English): To rotate, revolve, gyrate ; to partially or...

Definitions

  1. To rotate, revolve, gyrate ; to partially or...

Ancestry of “spin”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishspinnenTo spin or convert fibre into yarn; To make...
2Old Englishspinnanto spin
3Proto-Germanicspinnanąto spin
4Proto-Indo-European(s)pénh₁-ne-—
5Proto-Indo-European(s)penh₁-to twist; to weave

Words derived from “spin”

  • spinning
  • bespin
  • tailspin
  • electrospinning
  • isospin
  • topspin
  • backspin
  • spinlock
  • spinless
  • spinout
  • cytospin
  • pseudospin
  • spindown
  • spinnest
  • spinmeister
  • spinnable
  • spinneth
  • nonspinning
  • spinnability
  • wheelspin
  • spinward
  • headspin
  • respin
  • overspin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)penh₁- →