espionage

Where does the word "espionage" come from? It comes from Frankish spehōn, passing through Italian and French before entering English (1790s).

Espionage’s story begins in Frankish: spehōn meant “to watch.” A Germanic verb, to watch or look out; English 'spy' comes from the same root. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Italian as spione. A spy. From there it passed into French as espionnage by 1700s. Formed from 'espion', spy, borrowed from Italian. It reached English by 1790s as espionage. Borrowed in the years of the French Revolutionary Wars. Today, espionage means the practice of spying.

1. Stage 1 · Frankish · medieval spehōn "to watch", a Germanic verb, to watch or look out; English 'spy' comes from the same root.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · 1500s spione "spy", a spy.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1700s espionnage "spying", formed from 'espion', spy, borrowed from Italian.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1790s espionage "spying", borrowed in the years of the French Revolutionary Wars.