Where does “specht” come from?
specht (Middle High German) comes from Old High German speht, from Proto-West Germanic spiht, from Proto-Germanic spihtaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)peyk- — name of a bird; woodpecker; magpie.
Ancestry of “specht”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | speht | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | spiht | woodpecker |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | spihtaz | woodpecker |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)peyk- | name of a bird; woodpecker; magpie |
Words derived from “specht”