Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spycraft” come from?

spycraft (English) comes from English spy, from English -ing, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum — smoke; mist, haze.

spycraft (English): The skills and techniques employed by spies

Definitions

  1. The skills and techniques employed by spies

Ancestry of “spycraft”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspyA person who secretly watches and examines the...
2English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
3Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
4Old English-tūn—
5Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
6Proto-West Germanictūnfence
7Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
8Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
9Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →