spunk

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)peng-“to shine”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*funkô“spark”
3. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*funkō
4. Old English · derived from*funca“spark”
5. Middle English · derived fromfunke
6. English todayspunk

1530, blend of spark + funk (obsolete, “spark”). Funk (“spark, touchwood”) is from Middle English funke, fonke (“spark”), from Old English *funca (“spark”), from Proto-West Germanic *funkō, from Proto-Germanic *funkô (“spark”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peng- (“to shine”), and is akin to Middle Low German funke, fanke (“spark”), Middle Dutch vonke (“spark”), Old High German funcho, funko (“spark”), German Funke (“spark”).

Words from the same roots