Where does “gespenste” come from?

gespenste (Middle High German) comes from Old High German gispensti, from Old High German spanan — to lure, to attract.

Ancestry of “gespenste”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germangispenstitemptation, illusion
2Old High Germanspananto lure, to attract

Words derived from “gespenste”

Every word from Old High German spanan →Every word from Old High German gispensti →