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
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | spenser | spencer |
| 2 | Old French | espensier | — |
| 3 | Latin | dispensare | present active infinitive of dispēnsō;... |
| 4 | Latin | dispendere | to weight out; weigh out; to weigh out |
| 5 | Latin | pendēre | — |
| 6 | Latin | pendō | to weigh, weigh out |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | pendō | hang, put in a hanging position |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)péndeti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pend- | to stretch |