Where does “sperver” come from?
sperver (Middle English) comes from Old French esprevier, from Old Dutch *sparwari, from Proto-Germanic sparwaraz, from Proto-Germanic arô, from Proto-Indo-European er- — eagle, bird; loose, light, rare, sparse; to fail,...
Ancestry of “sperver”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | esprevier | — |
| 2 | Old Dutch | *sparwari | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | sparwaraz | sparrow-hawk |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | arô | eagle |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | er- | eagle, bird; loose, light, rare, sparse; to fail,... |