English word origin

Etymology of Spear

From Middle English spere (“spear”), from Old English spere (“spear”), variously intending a spearman, a spearmaker, or a person tall and thin in a way reminiscent of a spear.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

name

An English surname transferred from the nickname or originating as an occupation.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English spere (“spear”), from Old English spere (“spear”), variously intending a spearman, a spearmaker, or a person tall and thin in a way reminiscent of a spear.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionspereenm
Inherited-form mentionspereang

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "spere",
        "4": "",
        "5": "spear"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English spere (“spear”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "spere",
        "4": "",
        "5": "spear"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English spere (“spear”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "spere",
      "spere#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "spear",
      "spear"
    ],
    [
      "spere",
      "spere#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "spear",
      "spear"
    ],
    [
      "spearman",
      "spearman"
    ],
    [
      "spearmaker",
      "spearmaker"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "An English surname transferred from the nickname or originating as an occupation."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "da1e46df273628b8e39fddfcecd662d15ef97ed06ef22cdaa50282c37692e475",
      "rawRecordSha256": "cf21fee1661639c9f568ef83044d2e81807ebf6607bfea4571d2be5c61608c7c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4416212
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Spear →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-U3BlYXI