A Spoon Was Originally a Wood Chip
A spoon is a utensil with a shallow bowl. The Old English word meant a splinter of wood, which is what early spoons were.
A spoon is a utensil with a shallow bowl on a handle. Old English *spon* meant a chip or splinter of wood, and that was literally the first spoon: a flat piece of wood used to lift food. The bowl came later, and the name stayed. *Born with a silver spoon in your mouth* is recorded from the 1700s and refers to inherited wealth, since godparents traditionally gave silver spoons to children of families who could afford the gesture.
- An eating utensil. *A soup spoon.*
- A wood chip (archaic). *A spon of wood.*
- Spoonful — the quantity. *A spoonful.*
- Silver spoon — inherited wealth. *A silver spoon.*
- Old English — *spon*, a chip. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | spoon | A spoon. |
| Plural | spoons | Spoons. |
| Verb | spoon | Spoon it out. |
| Noun | spoonful | A spoonful. |
| Old English | spon | A chip. |
- Stir it with a wooden spoon.Utensil.
- Add a spoonful of sugar.Measure.
- Spon meant a wood chip.Etymology.
Spoon phrases
- Born with a silver spoon — inheriting wealth
- Wooden spoon — a booby prize for coming last
- Spoon-feed — to give information too easily
- Greasy spoon — a cheap cafe
- Spooning — an old word for courting, and a sleeping position
Old English *spon*, a chip or splinter of wood, of Germanic origin, related to German *Span*.
Why did spoon once mean a wood chip?
Because the first spoons were flat pieces of wood used to lift food. The name survived when the bowl was added.
Where does the wooden spoon prize come from?
From Cambridge University, where the student with the lowest passing mark in mathematics was presented with a wooden spoon.