Where does “spa” come from?

spa (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Norwegian Nynorsk spade, from Old Norse spaði, from Middle Low German spāde, from Old Saxon spado, from Proto-Germanic spadô, from Proto-Indo-European sph₂-dʰ-.

spa (Norwegian Nynorsk): to use a spade or shovel, to dig, to shovel

Definitions

  1. to use a spade or shovel, to dig, to shovel

Ancestry of “spa”, step by step

spa traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Nynorsk spade

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorskspadea spade, shovel; a spadeful; Alternative form of...
2Old Norsespaði—
3Middle Low Germanspāde—
4Old Saxonspado—
5Proto-Germanicspadôspade
6Proto-Indo-Europeansph₂-dʰ-—

via Old Norse spá

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsespáa prophecy; to prophesy, to foretell
2Proto-Germanicspahōnąto observe
3Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sph₂-dʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic spadô →Every word from Old Saxon spado →