Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spurn” come from?

Spurn comes from Middle English spurnen, from Old English spurnan, from Proto-Germanic spurnaną, from Proto-Indo-European sper-.

spurn (English): To reject disdainfully; contemn; scorn; To reject...

Definitions

  1. To reject disdainfully; contemn; scorn; To reject...

Ancestry of “spurn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishspurnenTo fall over, to misstep; to bump into something;...
2Old EnglishspurnanAlternative form of spornan; to strike against,...
3Proto-West Germanic*spurnan—
4Proto-Germanicspurnanąto kick, to trample
5Proto-Indo-EuropeansperH-to kick

Words derived from “spurn”

  • spurning
  • spurneth
  • spurner
  • spurnest
  • spurningly
  • spurnwater
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sperH- →