Where does “espion” come from?

espion (French) comes from Middle French espion, from Old French espion, from Frankish *spehō, from Frankish spehōn, from Proto-Germanic spehōną, from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- — to see, to look, to observe.

espion (French): spy

Definitions

  1. spy

Ancestry of “espion”, step by step

espion traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle French espion

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchespion—
2Old Frenchespionspy
3Frankish*spehō—
4Frankishspehōnto spy, watch; to peer, to look, to spy
5Proto-Germanicspehōnąto peer, look, spy
6Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe

via Italian spione

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianspionesneak, telltale; peeper
2Vulgar Latinspioto spy, espy; I spy; I espy

Words derived from “espion”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- →