Where does “spake” come from?
spake (Middle English) comes from Old Norse spakr, from Proto-Germanic spakaz, from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- — to see, to look, to observe.
spake (Middle English): Alternative form of spoke
Definitions
- Alternative form of spoke
Ancestry of “spake”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | spakr | quiet, gentle; wise, with the notion of prophetic... |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | spakaz | wise, clever |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |
Words derived from “spake”