Where does “hjärnspöke” come from?
hjärnspöke (Swedish) comes from Swedish spöke, from Danish spøg, from Middle English spok, from Dutch spook, from Middle Dutch spooc, from Middle Dutch spoke, from Proto-Germanic spōk — spook, ghost, apparition; witchcraft, wizardry.
hjärnspöke (Swedish): an (often threatening) unreasonable belief based solely on one's thoughts and feelings, a figment of the imagination, a bogeyman, a fantasy
Definitions
- an (often threatening) unreasonable belief based solely on one's thoughts and feelings, a figment of the imagination, a bogeyman, a fantasy
Ancestry of “hjärnspöke”, step by step
hjärnspöke traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Swedish spöke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | spöke | a ghost (spirit appearing after death) |
| 2 | Danish | spøg | joke, jest; imperative of spøge |
| 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 |