Where does “spiel” come from?
spiel (German) comes from Middle High German spil, from Old High German spil, from Proto-West Germanic spil — dance; game, exercise.
Ancestry of “spiel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | spil | — |
| 2 | Old High German | spil | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | spil | dance; game, exercise |