Where does “teaspoon” come from?
Teaspoon combines English tea from Min Nan 茶 with English spoon from Latin spuma meaning foam, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to spread or spit.
teaspoon (English): A small spoon used to stir the contents of a cup...
Definitions
- A small spoon used to stir the contents of a cup...
Ancestry of “teaspoon”, step by step
teaspoon 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 |