Where does “spire” come from?

spire (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Old Norse spíra, from Proto-Germanic spīrǭ, from Proto-Indo-European spey- — sharp point, stick.

spire (Norwegian Bokmål): sprout; to sprout

Definitions

  1. sprout; to sprout

Ancestry of “spire”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsespírareed; stalk; thin tree-shoot
2Proto-Germanicspīrǭpeak; summit; top; pole; rod; reed; stalk
3Proto-Indo-Europeanspey-sharp point, stick
Every word from Proto-Indo-European spey- →Every word from Proto-Germanic spīrǭ →Every word from Old Norse spíra →