spy

Where does the word "spy" come from? It comes from Frankish spehon, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Spy’s story begins in Frankish: spehon meant “to watch.” A Frankish word related to German 'spähen', to look out. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as espier. 'espionage' shares the root. It reached English by 1200s as spy. 'spyglass' dates from the 1700s. Today, spy means a person who secretly gathers information.

1. Stage 1 · Frankish · ancient spehon "to watch", a Frankish word related to German 'spähen', to look out.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval espier "to watch", 'espionage' shares the root.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s spy "to watch secretly", 'spyglass' dates from the 1700s.