Where does “span” come from?

span (West Frisian) comes from Dutch spannen, from Middle Dutch spannen, from Old Dutch spannan, from Proto-Germanic spannaną — to stretch, span.

span (West Frisian): span, team; pair, couple

Definitions

  1. span, team; pair, couple

Ancestry of “span”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchspannento strain, to put tension on; to stretch
2Middle Dutchspannen
3Old Dutchspannan—
4Proto-Germanicspannanąto stretch, span
Every word from Proto-Germanic spannaną →Every word from Old Dutch spannan →Every word from Middle Dutch spannen →
span — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer