An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/spät
spät, adjective and adverb, ‘late(ly), backward,’ from the equivalent Middle High German spœte, Old High German spâti, adjective (but Middle High German spâte, Old High German spâto, adverb); compare Dutch spade, ‘late.’ Gothic preserves only spêdiza, ‘later,’ and spêdists, ‘latest, last, least.’ The Teutonic spêd- cannot be traced farther.