Where does “spölen” come from?
spölen (Middle Low German) comes from Proto-West Germanic spōlijan, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₃(w)- — to swim, flow.
Ancestry of “spölen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-West Germanic | spōlijan | to wash; to rinse, flush |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₃(w)- | to swim, flow |