Etymology Explorer › Middle Dutch

Where does “spoelen” come from?

spoelen (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch spuolen, from Proto-West Germanic spōlijan, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₃(w)- — to swim, flow.

Ancestry of “spoelen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Dutchspuolen—
2Proto-West Germanicspōlijanto wash; to rinse, flush
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₃(w)-to swim, flow

Words derived from “spoelen”

  • afspoelen
  • vlakspoeler
  • spoelen
  • uitspoelen
  • vooruitspoelen
  • terugspoelen
  • hersenspoelen
  • aanspoelen
  • diepspoeler
  • overspoelen
  • spyle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₃(w)- →