*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of spelt

From Late Middle English spelde (past tense) and spelled, ispeled, ispelled (past participles). The past tense reflects an early Middle English syncopation of spellede, while the past participle remained largely disyllab

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

simple past and past participle of spell

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

From Late Middle English spelde (past tense) and spelled, ispeled, ispelled (past participles). The past tense reflects an early Middle English syncopation of spellede, while the past participle remained largely disyllabic until the general Early Modern English reduction of the -ed suffix. In both cases, once the medial vowel was lost, the final alveolar stop underwent phonetic devoicing after the sonorant /l/, resulting in the modern -t spelling. Compare dwelt, felt, and smelt. By surface analysis, spell + -t.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionspeldeenm
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": "spelde"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English spelde"
    },
    {
      "name": "surf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "spell",
        "3": "-t"
      },
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    }
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    [
      "spelde",
      "spelde#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "spelled",
      "spelled#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ispeled",
      "ispeled#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ispelled",
      "ispelled#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "spellede",
      "spellede#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Early Modern English",
      "Early Modern English"
    ],
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      "dwelt",
      "dwelt#English"
    ],
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      "felt",
      "felt#English"
    ],
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      "smelt",
      "smelt#English"
    ],
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      "spell",
      "spell#English"
    ],
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      "-t",
      "-t#English"
    ]
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A grain, considered either a subspecies of wheat, Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta, or a separate species Triticum spelta or Triticum dicoccon.

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

From Middle English spelt, from Old English spelt (“spelt, corn”), from Old Saxon spelta (“spelt”); or from Late Latin spelta (“spelt”), from Frankish *spelta (“spelt”); all from Proto-Germanic *spiltaz (“spelt”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionspeltenm
  • Inherited-form mentionspeltang
  • Derivation mentionspeltaosx · spelt
  • Derivation mention*spiltazgem-pro · spelt
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "spelta#Old_Saxon"
    ],
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      "spelta",
      "spelta#Latin"
    ],
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      "*spelta",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/spelta"
    ],
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      "*spiltaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/spiltaz"
    ]
  ],
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      "lang": "Cornish",
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      "lang": "Irish",
      "lang_code": "ga",
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A thin piece of wood or metal; a splinter. · Spelter.

adj

Of dried beans: pounded, crushed, or split.

verb

To grind or crush (grain or pulses).

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

The noun is from Middle English spelt, from Old English spelt, connected with the verb. Compare speld and German Spelze (“husk”). The adjective is from Middle English spelt, probably a contraction of spelked, past participle of spelken (“to bruise (beans)”), itself of obscure origin. Compare Scots spilkings (“split peas”), the later verb, and perhaps also splet. The verb is probably from the adjective. Compare earlier spald, speld.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionspeltenm
  • Inherited-form mentionspeltang
  • Cognate mentionSpelzede · husk
  • Cognate mentionspilkingssco · split peas
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "speld",
      "speld#Noun"
    ],
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      "Spelze",
      "Spelze#German"
    ],
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      "spelt",
      "spelt#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "spelked",
      "spelked#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "spelken",
      "spelken#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "spilkings",
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    ],
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      "splet",
      "splet#English"
    ],
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      "spald",
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    ],
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      "speld",
      "speld#Verb"
    ]
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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 spelt →

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-c3BlbHQ