Where does “spruce” come from?

Spruce derives from Middle English spruce, from Middle English Pruce, from Latin Prussia, originally referring to the region and its associated goods or characteristics.

spruce (English): Any of various large coniferous evergreen trees...

Definitions

  1. Any of various large coniferous evergreen trees...

Ancestry of “spruce”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishSpruce—
2Middle EnglishPrucePrussia
3LatinPrussia—
4Middle High GermanPrūzin—

Words derived from “spruce”

Every word from Middle High German Prūzin →Every word from Latin Prussia →Every word from Middle English Pruce →