Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “sprite” come from?

sprite (Middle English) comes from Old French esprit, from Latin spīritus, from Latin spīrō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)peys- — to blow, breathe; to blow to make noise; to blow;...

Ancestry of “sprite”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchespritspirit
2Latinspīritus—
3Latinspīrō—
4Proto-Indo-European(s)peys-to blow, breathe; to blow to make noise; to blow;...

Words derived from “sprite”

  • sprite
  • spritely
  • spritelike
  • spriteliness
  • spriting
  • spriteful
  • spriter
  • spritesheet
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)peys- →