Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “sparre” come from?

sparre (Middle English) comes from Middle Dutch sparre, from Old Dutch sparro, from Frankish sparro, from Proto-Germanic sparrô, from Proto-Indo-European (s)par- — beam, log.

sparre (Middle English): spar, rafter, beam

Definitions

  1. spar, rafter, beam

Ancestry of “sparre”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchsparrepole, beam; rafter
2Old Dutchsparro—
3Frankishsparro—
4Proto-Germanicsparrôa wooden beam, a log
5Proto-Indo-European(s)par-beam, log

Words derived from “sparre”

  • spar
  • sparry
  • sparrer
  • calcspar
  • sparlike
  • unspar
  • sparriness
  • sparraus
  • sparrata
  • sparraaja
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)par- →