An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Speiche

by Friedrich Kluge

Speiche, feminine, ‘spoke,’ from the equivalent Middle High German speiche, Old High German speihha, feminine; a West Teutonic word; compare Anglo-Saxon spâce, English spoke, Dutch speek, Old Low German spêca, ‘spoke.’ Its connection with Old High German spahha, ‘chip, stick,’ Dutch spaak, ‘rafter,’ is not certain. Speiche is derived from a primitively Teutonic spī̆k; so too the cognates of Modern High German Speichernagel, whose first component is Modern High German (simply Middle German) spîcher, masculine, ‘nail.’ This corresponds to Dutch spijker, ‘nail,’ Old Icelandic spik, ‘spike, sprig,’ and English spike.