Where does “Span” come from?
Span (German) comes from Middle High German spān, from Old High German spān, from Proto-Germanic spēnuz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peH-.
Ancestry of “Span”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | spān | — |
| 2 | Old High German | spān | chip of wood, shaving |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | spēnuz | piece of wood; chip, shaving |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | *(s)peH- | — |