Where does “Ballspiel” come from?

Ballspiel (German) comes from German spiel, from Middle High German spil, from Old High German spil, from Proto-West Germanic spil — dance; game, exercise.

Ballspiel (German): ballgame

Definitions

  1. ballgame

Ancestry of “Ballspiel”, step by step

Ballspiel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German spiel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanspiela game instance or way of playing
2Middle High Germanspil—
3Old High Germanspil—
4Proto-West Germanicspildance; game, exercise

via German ball

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanballball round or roundish object, most commonly used in games
2Frenchbaldance party, ball
3Old Frenchbal—
Every word from Proto-West Germanic spil →Every word from Old High German spil →Every word from Middle High German spil →