An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/sputen

by Friedrich Kluge

sputen, vb., ‘to speed, make haste,’ from the equiv. MidHG. *spuoten (not recorded), OHG. spuotôn; allied to MidHG. and OHG. spuot, f., ‘success, dispatch,’ which is the abstract of MidHG. and OHG. spuon (spuoan), ‘to succeed, be successful’ (sputen is wanting in Suab. and Bav.). To the same cognates E. speed, from AS. spéd, ‘success’ (AS. spôwan, ‘to make progress’), Du. spoed, ‘haste,’ spoeden, ‘to hasten.’ With the root spô (spê) contained in these words, Sans. sphâ, ‘to swell, grow, thrive,’ and OSlov. spěją (spěti), ‘to be successful,’ are connected; so too perhaps Lat. spatium.