Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “wiþsprecan” come from?

wiþsprecan (Old English) comes from Old English sprecan, from Proto-West Germanic *sprekan, from Proto-Germanic sprekaną, from Proto-Indo-European spreg- — to make a sound, speak; to make a sound, utter,...

wiþsprecan (Old English): to speak against, revile, withsay

Definitions

  1. to speak against, revile, withsay

Ancestry of “wiþsprecan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishsprecanto speak, talk
2Proto-West Germanic*sprekan—
3Proto-Germanicsprekanąto speak, to make a noise
4Proto-Indo-Europeanspreg-to make a sound, speak; to make a sound, utter,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European spreg- →