Where does “aprilspøk” come from?
aprilspøk (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Norwegian Nynorsk spøk, from Middle Low German spȫken, from Middle English spok, from Dutch spook, from Middle Dutch spooc, from Middle Dutch spoke, from Proto-Germanic spōk — spook, ghost, apparition; witchcraft, wizardry.
aprilspøk (Norwegian Nynorsk): April fool
Ancestry of “aprilspøk”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Nynorsk | spøk | joke |
| 2 | Middle Low German | spȫken | — |
| 3 | Middle English | spok | Alternative form of spoke |
| 4 | Dutch | spook | phantom, ghost; horror, terror; an annoying and... |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | spooc | apparition, ghost; spook, ghost |
| 6 | Middle Dutch | spoke | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | spōk | spook, ghost, apparition; witchcraft, wizardry |