Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sponge” come from?

Sponge comes from Ancient Greek σπόγγος, a word for the porous marine animal used for cleaning.

sponge (English): Any of various marine invertebrates, mostly of...

Definitions

  1. Any of various marine invertebrates, mostly of...

Ancestry of “sponge”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishspunge—
2LatinspongiaA sponge; pumice, or other things resembling a...
3Ancient Greekσπογγιάsponge
4Ancient Greek-ῐ́ᾱ{{l|en|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine...
5Proto-Indo-European-íh₂—
6Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...

Words derived from “sponge”

  • spongy
  • sponging
  • sponger
  • spongelike
  • sponginess
  • spongin
  • spongious
  • spongeful
  • microsponge
  • spongeware
  • spongoid
  • spongily
  • spongeless
  • spongeable
  • spongelet
  • disponge
  • sclerosponge
  • calcisponge
  • spongeworthiness
  • spongeworthy
  • spongebags
  • spongeth
  • nonspongy
  • spongivore
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ →