Where does “spite” come from?
spite (Middle English) comes from Old English spitu, from Proto-Germanic spituz, from Proto-Indo-European spey- — sharp point, stick.
Ancestry of “spite”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | spitu | spit |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | spituz | rod; stick; spit |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | spey- | sharp point, stick |
Words derived from “spite”