English word origin

Etymology of spiel

Borrowed from German Spiel (“game, performance”) or Yiddish שפּיל (shpil), both from Middle High German spil, from Old High German spil, from Proto-West Germanic *spil. Cognate with Old English spilian (“to revel, play”)

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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

To talk at length. · To give a sales pitch; to promote by speaking.

noun

A lengthy and extravagant speech or argument usually intended to persuade. · An early form of rap music.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionSpielde
Borrowed-form mentionשפּילyi
Derivation mentionspilgmh
Derivation mentionspilgoh
Derivation mention*spilgmw-pro
Cognate mentionspilianang

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "Spiel",
        "4": "",
        "5": "game, performance"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from German Spiel (“game, performance”)"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yi",
        "3": "שפּיל"
      },
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    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmh",
        "3": "spil"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German spil"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "3": "spil"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German spil"
    },
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        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*spil"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
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        "2": "spilian",
        "3": "",
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      },
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    }
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      "שפּיל#Yiddish"
    ],
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      "spil",
      "spil#Middle_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "spil",
      "spil#Old_High_German"
    ],
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      "*spil",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/spil"
    ],
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      "spilian#Old_English"
    ],
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      "speel",
      "speel#English"
    ]
  ],
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        "To talk at length.",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A curling tournament.

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

From the Scots spiel (“game, play; curling match”) from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German spel.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentionspielsco
Derivation mentionspelgml

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "spiel",
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      },
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    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch"
    },
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      "expansion": "Middle Low German spel"
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  ],
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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 spiel →

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-c3BpZWw