*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of spud

From Middle English spudde (“small knife”). Origin unknown; probably related to Danish spyd, Old Norse spjót (“spear”), German Spieß (“spear; spike; skewer”). Compare English spit (“sharp, pointed rod”). The use of the t

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

A game for three or more players, involving the gradual elimination of players by throwing and catching a ball.

verb

To dig up weeds with a spud. · To begin drilling an oil well; to drill by moving the drill bit and shaft up and down, or by raising and dropping a bit. · To remove the roofing aggregate and most of the bituminous top coating by scraping and chipping. · To set up a recreational vehicle (RV) at a campsite, typically by leveling the RV and connecting it to electric, water, or sewer hookups.

noun

A potato. · A hole in a sock. · A type of short nut (fastener) threaded on both ends. · Anything short and thick.

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

From Middle English spudde (“small knife”). Origin unknown; probably related to Danish spyd, Old Norse spjót (“spear”), German Spieß (“spear; spike; skewer”). Compare English spit (“sharp, pointed rod”). The use of the term for a potato perhaps first appeared in New Zealand and Australian dialect and slang.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 8 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "spudde",
        "4": "",
        "5": "small knife"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English spudde (“small knife”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "spyd"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish spyd"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "spjót",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spear"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse spjót (“spear”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Spieß",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spear; spike; skewer"
      },
      "expansion": "German Spieß (“spear; spike; skewer”)"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "spit",
        "3": "",
        "4": "sharp, pointed rod"
      },
      "expansion": "English spit (“sharp, pointed rod”)"
    }
  ],
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      "spudde#Middle_English"
    ],
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    ],
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      "spjót#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "Spieß",
      "Spieß#German"
    ],
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      "spit",
      "spit#English"
    ]
  ],
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        "To begin drilling an oil well; to drill by moving the drill bit and shaft up and down, or by raising and dropping a bit.",
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        "A hole in a sock.",
        "A type of short nut (fastener) threaded on both ends.",
        "Anything short and thick."
      ],
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}

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 spud →

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-c3B1ZA