Etymograph

English

spray

Spray comes from Middle Dutch sprāien, from Proto-Germanic *sprēwijaną ‘to spray, sprinkle’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- ‘to sow, scatter’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)per-‘to sow, scatter’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sprēwijaną‘to spray, sprinkle’reconstructed
  3. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500sprāien
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1952spray

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)per-‘to sow, scatter’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sprēwijaną‘to spray, sprinkle’reconstructed
  3. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500sprāien
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1952spray

Earliest quotation: 1952, Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek: “A strong sirocco was blowing the spray from the…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- ‘to sow, scatter’

spread, fry, spurt, 3 more

Another origin of spray

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150*spræġreconstructed
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spray‘branch, shoot, or twig of a tree’
  3. Englishtodaysame form

From Middle English spray, from Old English *spræġ, sprei (found in place names such as that of Spreyton, England), of unknown origin.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.

Today it means

noun A fine, gentle, dispersed mist of liquid.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- / spray

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