English
spinner
Spinner comes from Middle English spynnere ‘a spinner’, from spinnen ‘to spin or convert fibre into yarn’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pénh₁-ne-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pénh₁-ne-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*spinnaną‘to spin’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*spinnan‘to spin’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150spinnan‘to spin’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spinnen‘to spin or convert fibre into yarn’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500spynnere‘a spinner’
- Englishearliest quotation 1869spinner
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pénh₁-ne-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*spinnaną‘to spin’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*spinnan‘to spin’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150spinnan‘to spin’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spinnen‘to spin or convert fibre into yarn’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500spynnere‘a spinner’
- Englishearliest quotation 1869spinner
Earliest quotation: 1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago: “I soon found it necessary not only to brush…”
Formed from spin + -er
Proto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁- ‘to twist’
Proto-Germanic *spinnaną ‘to spin’
Old English spinnan ‘to spin’
Middle English spinnen ‘to spin or convert fibre into yarn’
English spin
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *spinnaną ‘to spin’
through Proto-West Germanic *spinnan ‘to spin’
through Middle English spinnen ‘to spin or convert fibre into yarn’
Today it means
noun Someone who or something that spins.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)pénh₁-ne- / spinner