Etymograph

English

spy

Spy comes from Old French espier ‘to spy’, from Proto-Germanic *spehōną ‘to see, look’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *speḱ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*speḱ-‘to look’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*spehōną‘to see, look’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*spehōn‘to spy’reconstructed
  4. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*spiō‘to spy, espy’reconstructed
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400espier‘to spy’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spien
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1536spy

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*speḱ-‘to look’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*spehōną‘to see, look’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*spehōn‘to spy’reconstructed
  4. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*spiō‘to spy, espy’reconstructed
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400espier‘to spy’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spien
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1536spy

Earliest quotation: 1536, Hugh Latimer: “VVherefore lift up your heads, brethren, and look about…”

The story

The noun displaced native Old English sċēawere (literally “watcher”), which was also the word for "mirror." In this sense, the verb displaced Old English sċēawian, which was also the word for "to watch" and became the Modern English word show.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- ‘to look’

special, specific, respect, despite, species, perspective, scope, aspect, inspector, spectrum, expectation, inspection, spectacular, speculation, suspicion, skeptical, spite, spice, specify, specimen, spectacle, inspect, speculative, retrospective, spectator, speculate, conspicuous, retrospect, expectant, skeptic, specter, endoscopic, macroscopic, spectroscopic, circumspect, speculator, specious, specular, espy, 118 more

through Frankish *spehōn ‘to spy’

espionage

Today it means

noun A person who secretly watches and examines the actions of other individuals or organizations and gathers information on them (usually to gain an advantage).

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- / spy

Shirt and support for this word