Where does “spellen” come from?
spellen (Middle English) comes from Old French espeler, from Old French espelir, from Frankish spelôn, from Proto-Germanic spellōną, from Proto-Germanic spellą, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pel- — to split in two, split in half; to speak with a...
spellen (Middle English): To tell, speak, declare, or preach
Definitions
- To tell, speak, declare, or preach
Ancestry of “spellen”, step by step
spellen traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French espeler
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | espeler | to call; to cry out; to shout; to explain; to... |
| 2 | Old French | espelir | — |
| 3 | Frankish | spelôn | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | spellōną | to talk, tell, recount |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | spellą | news, message; tale, story |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pel- | to split in two, split in half; to speak with a... |
via Old French espeller
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | espeller | Alternative form of espeler |
| 2 | Frankish | spelōn | — |
via Old English spellian
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | spellian | to talk, converse; to announce, proclaim; to... |