Etymology

speck

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Today it means: A tiny spot or particle, especially of dirt. Full definition →

Middle English spekke ← Old English specca ← Proto-Germanic *sprakô
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speck · noun, verb1

  1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*sprakô“spark”
  2. Old English · inherited fromspecca“small spot, stain”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromspekke
  4. English todayspeck

From Middle English spekke, from Old English specca (“small spot, stain”), from the same ultimate source as Proto-Germanic *sprakô (“spark”). Cognate with Low German spaken (“to spot with wet”).

speck · noun2

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*spiką“bacon”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*spik
  3. Old English · inherited fromspic“bacon; lard; fat”
  4. Middle English · inherited fromspik
  5. English todayspeck

From earlier specke, spycke (probably reinforced by Dutch spek, German Speck), from Middle English spik, spyk, spike, spich, from Old English spic (“bacon; lard; fat”), from Proto-West Germanic *spik, from Proto-Germanic *spiką (“bacon”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Späk, Dutch spek, German Speck, Icelandic spik.

Speck · proper noun3

* As a German surname, from the noun Speck (“bacon”). * As an English surname, variant of Speake, and perhaps a variant of Peck with an initial -s.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.