spatula

Spatula comes from Latin spatula, meaning 'a flat piece,' which was itself the diminutive of spatha, 'a broad or flat tool.' That word traces back to Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē), meaning 'a broad wood or metal blade.'

The word has stayed remarkably true to its roots — from a broad blade in Greek, to a flat tool in Latin, to the small flat implement English still uses today, the core idea of flatness never left it.

Spatula is a doublet of spauld, meaning both words descend from the same source through different paths. It's also closely related to spatha and spathe, which share its Greek root σπάθη.