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#124249 03/02/04 02:51 PM
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As far as I can make out, taking Dr Bill's etymology back still further, the Scottish ‘spree’ comes from the IE root ‘per’ - to try, to risk; this is the same as the root for ‘pirate’, so the definition of a spree being a cattle raid fits right in!

But sadly, it seems the river name Spree has no Scottish connections (there’s a surprise). It is akin to the English ‘spray’ and stems from the IE root ‘sper’ (to strew). It comes via the extended Germanic root ‘spr(e)w’ – spray, from Middle Dutch ‘spraeien’, ‘sprayen’, to sprinkle, from Germanic spr(e)wjan.



#124250 03/03/04 04:48 AM
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Vendryes in his etymological dictionary of Old Irish agrees with the A-H etymology that I quoted above. Spree is (via Gaelic) from Latin præda which derives from PIE root *ghe(n)d- 'to seize, take', as in all the -hend words, too. I see no reason to disagree. The river Spree etymology seems likely.


#124251 03/03/04 11:55 AM
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Quite right, I stand corrected. On re-examining the AHD I realise that I jumped to a conclusion that led from ghed- into an enticing but incorrect alleyway.


#124252 03/03/04 02:09 PM
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Yes, but sometimes those alleyways lead us into other interesting words.


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