Where does “Spionage” come from?

Spionage (German) comes from French espionnage, from French espionner, from French espion, from Middle French espion, from Old French espion, from Frankish *spehō, from Frankish spehōn, from Proto-Germanic spehōną — to see, to look, to observe.

Spionage (German): espionage

Definitions

  1. espionage

Ancestry of “Spionage”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchespionnageespionage; spying
2Frenchespionnerto spy
3Frenchespionspy
4Middle Frenchespion—
5Old Frenchespionspy
6Frankish*spehō—
7Frankishspehōnto spy, watch; to peer, to look, to spy
8Proto-Germanicspehōnąto peer, look, spy
9Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe

Words derived from “Spionage”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- →
Spionage — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer