Where does “speck” come from?
speck (German) comes from Middle High German spec, from Old High German spek, from Proto-West Germanic *spik, from Proto-Germanic spiką, from Proto-Indo-European spēy- — to stretch; thrive; succeed.
Ancestry of “speck”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | spec | — |
| 2 | Old High German | spek | bacon |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *spik | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | spiką | bacon |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | spēy- | to stretch; thrive; succeed |