An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/spreizen

by Friedrich Kluge

spreizen, vb., ‘to spread open, stride,’ earlier ModHG. spreutzen, lit. ‘to stretch upwards like a prop or buttress,’ from MidHG. and OHG. spriutzen ‘to prop. support.’ Allied to MidHG. spriuȥ, ‘buttress,’ which is derived from the stem of sprietzen.