Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “span” come from?

span (Middle English) comes from Old English spann, from Proto-Germanic spann, from Proto-Germanic spinnaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pénh₁-ne-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)penh₁- — to twist; to weave.

span (Middle English): Alternative form of spanne

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of spanne

Ancestry of “span”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishspannspan
2Proto-Germanicspann—
3Proto-Germanicspinnanąto spin
4Proto-Indo-European(s)pénh₁-ne-—
5Proto-Indo-European(s)penh₁-to twist; to weave
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)penh₁- →