An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Beispiel

by Friedrich Kluge

Beispiel, n., ‘example,’ from late MidHG. bîspil, mostly bîspel, n., ‘fable, allegory, proverb,’ OHG. *bîspëll (for bî comp. bei and Beichte). Comp. AS. bîspell, ‘example, parable'; formed from OHG. and MidHG. spël (ll), ‘tale, fable, rumour,’ Goth. spill, ‘legend, fable,’ AS. spell, E. spell (gospel from godspell), ‘tale, fable'; spell (to which Fr. épeler, ‘to spell,’ is akin) is the term for literary composition in prose, and hence is as important for the history of primit. Teut. civilisation as Lied, singen, &c.