An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/spät

by Friedrich Kluge

spät, adjective and adverb, ‘late(ly), backward,’ from the equivalent Middle High German spœte, Old High German spâti, adjective (but Middle High German spâte, Old High German spâto, adverb); compare Dutch spade, ‘late.’ Gothic preserves only spêdiza, ‘later,’ and spêdists, ‘latest, last, least.’ The Teutonic spêd- cannot be traced farther.