An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Spelt
Spelt, Spelz, masculine, ‘spelt,’ from the equivalent Middle High German spëlte, spëlze, Old High German spëlta, spëlza, feminine; corresponding. to Anglo-Saxon, English, and Dutch spelt. The Old High German form spëlza (equivalent to Anglo-Saxon spelt) was borrowed, as the z indicates, prior to the Old High German period (perhaps contemporaneously with Speicher, Pflanze, and kochen) from Latin and Italian spelta, while the Old High German variant spëlta points to Italian spelda. Compare also with these French épeautre, ‘spelt.’