Where does “asperge” come from?
asperge (Middle French) comes from Medieval Latin asparagus, from Ancient Greek ἀσπάραγος, from Ancient Greek ἀσφάραγος, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pregʰ — to jerk, to scatter.
Ancestry of “asperge”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | asparagus | asparagus; shoot, sprout-like asparagus, samphire |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἀσπάραγος | asparagus; young shoots |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἀσφάραγος | throat, gullet; asparagus; shoots of other plants |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pregʰ | to jerk, to scatter |
Words derived from “asperge”