Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “Spenser” come from?

Spenser (Middle English) comes from Middle English spenser, 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 — to stretch.

Ancestry of “Spenser”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishspenserspencer
2Old Frenchespensier—
3Latindispensarepresent active infinitive of dispēnsō;...
4Latindispendereto weight out; weigh out; to weigh out
5Latinpendēre—
6Latinpendō—
7Proto-Italicpendōhang, put in a hanging position
8Proto-Indo-European(s)péndeti—
9Proto-Indo-European(s)pend-to stretch

Words derived from “Spenser”

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