Where does “spy” come from?
spy (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Old Norse spýja, from Proto-Germanic spīwaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ptyēw- — to spit, vomit.
spy (Norwegian Bokmål): barf , vomit, spew; to barf , throw up, vomit,...
Definitions
- barf , vomit, spew; to barf , throw up, vomit,...
Ancestry of “spy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | spýja | to spew, to vomit; vomit |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | spīwaną | to spew, to spit |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ptyēw- | to spit, vomit |