English
span
Span comes from Middle English spanne ‘a span’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- ‘to stretch’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pend-‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*spannō‘span, handbreadth’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150spann
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spanne‘a span’
- Englishearliest quotation 1699span
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pend-‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*spannō‘span, handbreadth’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150spann
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spanne‘a span’
- Englishearliest quotation 1699span
Earliest quotation: 1699, George Farquhar: “Life's but a span; I'll every inch enjoy.”
The story
The sense “pair of horses” is probably from Old English ġespan, ġespann (‘a joining; a fastening together; clasp; yoke’), from Proto-West Germanic [Term?].
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- ‘to stretch’
expensive, spend, compensation, pound, expense, pension, depend, compensate, expenditure, appendix, penthouse, perpendicular, pendant, compendium, poise, peso, expend, dispensation, append, pensive, recompense, piso, pansy, 18 more
Another origin of span
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*spannaną‘to stretch, span’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150spannan‘to span, clasp, fasten, attach, join, link’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spannen‘to tie around, wrap’
- Englishtodayspan
Today it means
noun The full width of an open hand from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger used as an informal unit of length.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- / span