Where does “espion” come from?
espion (Italian) comes from Italian spione, from Vulgar Latin spio, from Frankish spehōn, from Proto-Germanic spehōną, from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- — to see, to look, to observe.
Ancestry of “espion”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | spione | sneak, telltale; peeper |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | spio | to spy, espy; I spy; I espy |
| 3 | Frankish | spehōn | to spy, watch; to peer, to look, to spy |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | spehōną | to peer, look, spy |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |
Words derived from “espion”