Where does “tablespoon” come from?
Tablespoon combines English table and English spoon, where spoon derives from English spume, Latin spuma, and Proto-Indo-European (s)ptyēw-, meaning to spit or spurt.
tablespoon (English): A large spoon, used for eating food from a bowl;...
Definitions
- A large spoon, used for eating food from a bowl;...
Ancestry of “tablespoon”, step by step
tablespoon traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English spoon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spoon | An implement for eating or serving; a scooped... |
| 2 | Middle English | spoon | Alternative form of spone |
| 3 | Old English | spōn | piece of wood, chip; sliver, chip of wood,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | spanu | piece of wood, chip, shaving |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | spenô | nipple |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | psten-os- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pstḗn | breast, teat |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₂ǵ-sth₂-ḗn | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |