Where does “spondée” come from?
spondée (French) comes from Latin spondēus, from Ancient Greek σπονδεῖος, from Ancient Greek σπονδή, from Ancient Greek -ή, from Ancient Greek -ᾱ, from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂.
Ancestry of “spondée”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | spondēus | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | σπονδεῖος | spondee; associated with a libation |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | σπονδή | libation, drink-offering; treaty, truce |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ή | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ᾱ | nominal suffix |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂ | — |