Where does “splay” come from?
Splay comes from Middle English splayen, from Middle English displayen, from Old French despleier, combining Old French des- with Latin plicare meaning "to fold," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pel-.
splay (English): To spread; spread out; To dislocate, as a...
Definitions
- To spread; spread out; To dislocate, as a...
Ancestry of “splay”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | splaien | — |
| 2 | Middle English | spaien | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | espeier | Alternative form of espier; Alternative form of... |
| 4 | Old French | espeer | to pierce |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
Words derived from “splay”