An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Sporn

by Friedrich Kluge

Sporn, m., Sporen, plur., ‘spur,’ from the equiv. MidHG. spor, spore, OHG. sporo, m.; corresponding to Du. spoor, AS. spora, spura, E. spur, and the equiv. OIc. spore. From the Teut. cognates are derived the Rom. terms, Ital. sprone and Fr. eperon, ‘spur.’ Teut. sporo, m., ‘spur,’ is based on a str. verbal root sper, ‘to kick,’ which is preserved in ModHG. Spur, spüren, and E. to spurn, Comp. OHG., OSax., and AS. spurnan, ‘to tread,’ with which Sans. sphur, ‘to kick away,’ Gr. σπαίρω, ‘to struggle’ (Lat. sperno, ‘I despise,’ has a figurative sense), and Lith. spìrti, ‘to tread,’ are primit. allied. Comp. also Sperling (lit. ‘sprawler’?). Since the orig. sense of the Aryan root sper is ‘to kick,’ Speer cannot be connected with it.