Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Spital” come from?

Spital (German) comes from Middle High German spitāl, from Old High German hospitāl, from Latin hospitāle, from Latin hospitālis, from Latin hospes, from Proto-Italic hostipotis, from Proto-Italic χostipotis, from Proto-Indo-European gʰostipotis — to drink.

Ancestry of “Spital”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanspitāl—
2Old High Germanhospitāl—
3Latinhospitāle—
4Latinhospitālis—
5Latinhospeshost; guest, visitor; stranger; foreigner
6Proto-Italichostipotishost
7Proto-Italicχostipotis—
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʰostipotismaster of guests
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpótismaster, ruler; husband
10Proto-Indo-Europeanph₃tis—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₃-to drink
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₃- →