Where does “spook” come from?

Spook comes from Dutch spook, from Middle Dutch spooc and spoke, from Proto-Germanic spōk, a word of uncertain origin and meaning.

spook (English): A ghost or phantom; A hobgoblin; A scare or...

Definitions

  1. A ghost or phantom; A hobgoblin; A scare or...

Ancestry of “spook”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchspookphantom, ghost; horror, terror; an annoying and...
2Middle Dutchspoocapparition, ghost; spook, ghost
3Middle Dutchspoke
4Proto-Germanicspōkspook, ghost, apparition; witchcraft, wizardry

Words derived from “spook

Every word from Proto-Germanic spōk