Where does “sprightfulness” come from?
sprightfulness (English) comes from English sprightful, from English spright, from English sprite, from Middle English sprite, from Old French esprit, from Latin spīritus, from Latin spīrō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)peys- — to blow, breathe; to blow to make noise; to blow;...
sprightfulness (English): The quality of being sprightful
Definitions
- The quality of being sprightful
Ancestry of “sprightfulness”, step by step
sprightfulness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sprightful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sprightful | sprightly; spirited; lively; animated |
| 2 | English | spright | Obsolete spelling of sprite; Spirit; mind; soul;... |
| 3 | English | sprite | A spirit; a soul; a shade; An apparition; ghost;... |
| 4 | Middle English | sprite | — |
| 5 | Old French | esprit | spirit |
| 6 | Latin | spīritus | air, breath, breathing |
| 7 | Latin | spīrō | to breathe, draw breath, respire |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)peys- | to blow, breathe; to blow to make noise; to blow;... |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |