Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/spihtaz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Alternative forms

• *spehtaz

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk- (“woodpecker; magpie”).

Noun

*spihtaz m

1. woodpecker

Inflection

masculine a-stemDeclension of *spihtaz (masculine a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*spihtaz	*spihtōz, *spihtōs
vocative	*spiht	*spihtōz, *spihtōs
accusative	*spihtą	*spihtanz
genitive	*spihtas, *spihtis	*spihtǫ̂
dative	*spihtai	*spihtamaz
instrumental	*spihtō	*spihtamiz

Related terms

• *spehaz

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *spiht, *speht
  • Old English: *spiht, *speoht
    • Middle English: speght (late)
      • English: speight, specht, spekt, spight
      • Middle Scots: specht
  • Old Frisian: *spiāht
    • West Frisian: spjocht, spjucht
    • Saterland Frisian: Spächt
    • North Frisian: specht, spjucht
  • Old Saxon: speht
    • Middle Low German: specht
      • Dutch Low Saxon: specht, spechte
      • Plautdietsch: Specht
      • → English: speight, specht, spekt, spight
  • Old Dutch: *speht
    • Middle Dutch: specht
      • Dutch: specht
  • Old High German: speht
    • Middle High German: spëht, specht, speiht
      • German: Specht
      • Luxembourgish: Spiecht
  • → Old French: espec, espoit, espois
    • Middle French: espec, especq
      • French: épeiche
    • → Middle English: spek, spec, speke
      • ⇒ Middle English: wod spek
• Old Norse: spettr, spætr
  • Norwegian: spetta
  • Swedish: spett
  • Danish: spætte