Where does “spew” come from?
spew (Middle English) comes from Middle English spewen, from Old English spīwan, from Proto-West Germanic *spīwan, from Proto-Germanic spīwaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ptyēw- — to spit, vomit.
spew (Middle English): Alternative form of spewen
Definitions
- Alternative form of spewen
Ancestry of “spew”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | spewen | To spew, or puke; to regurgitate... |
| 2 | Old English | spīwan | to vomit, spit |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *spīwan | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | spīwaną | to spew, to spit |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ptyēw- | to spit, vomit |