Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “Spencer” come from?

Spencer (Middle English) comes from Old French espensier, from Latin dispensare, from Latin dispendere, from Latin pendēre, from Latin pendō, from Proto-Italic pendō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)péndeti, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend- — to stretch.

Ancestry of “Spencer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchespensier—
2Latindispensarepresent active infinitive of dispēnsō;...
3Latindispendereto weight out; weigh out; to weigh out
4Latinpendēre—
5Latinpendō—
6Proto-Italicpendōhang, put in a hanging position
7Proto-Indo-European(s)péndeti—
8Proto-Indo-European(s)pend-to stretch

Words derived from “Spencer”

  • Spencer
  • Spencerian
  • spencer
  • spencerite
  • spencer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend- →