Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spondee” come from?

spondee (English) comes from Latin spondēus, from Ancient Greek σπονδεῖος, from Ancient Greek σπονδή, from Ancient Greek -ή, from Ancient Greek -ᾱ, from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂.

spondee (English): A word or metrical foot of two syllables, either...

Definitions

  1. A word or metrical foot of two syllables, either...

Ancestry of “spondee”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinspondēus—
2Ancient Greekσπονδεῖοςspondee; associated with a libation
3Ancient Greekσπονδήlibation, drink-offering; treaty, truce
4Ancient Greek-ή—
5Ancient Greek-ᾱnominal suffix
6Proto-Indo-European-éh₂—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂ →