Etymology Explorer › Russian

Where does “шпио́н” come from?

шпио́н (Russian) comes from German Spion, from French espion, from Middle French espion, from Old French espion, from Frankish *spehō, from Frankish spehōn, from Proto-Germanic spehōną, from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- — to see, to look, to observe.

шпио́н (Russian): spy

Definitions

  1. spy

Ancestry of “шпио́н”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSpionspy; peephole
2Frenchespionspy
3Middle Frenchespion—
4Old Frenchespionspy
5Frankish*spehō—
6Frankishspehōnto spy, watch; to peer, to look, to spy
7Proto-Germanicspehōnąto peer, look, spy
8Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe

Words derived from “шпио́н”

  • шпиономания
  • шпионский
  • שפּיאָן
Every word from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- →