# An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Q (full text)

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Q.
quabbeln, vb., ‘to shake or tremble’ (of fat and jelly), ModHG. only, orig. a LG. word, which is usually derived from LG. quabbel (Du. kwabbe), ‘dewlap.’
Quacksalber, m., ‘quack’; ModHG. only; orig. a LG. word; corresponding to E. quack, Du. kwakzalver, a compound of zalf, ‘salve’ (comp. OHG. salbâni, ‘seller of ointment, physician’). The first part of the compound seems to come from the vb. quaken (which see), ‘to boast’; hence Quacksalber, ‘boasting physician’?.
Quader, m., ‘squared stone,’ from the equiv. MidHG. quâder, m. and n., which is based on Lat. quā̆drum, ‘square,’ or rather quā̆drus (scil. lapis), ‘square stone.’ Comp. Ital. quadro, ‘square,’ Prov. caire, ‘square stone’ (Ital. quadrello, Fr. carreau).
quaken, vb., ‘to quack, croak,’ ModHG. only, orig. a LG. word; comp. Du. kwaken, ‘to croak,’ to which kwakken, ‘to make a noise,’ is allied, E. to quack. A late onomatopoetic term.
Qual, f., ‘torment, pain,’ from MidHG. quâl, quâle (kále), OHG. and OSax. quâla, f., ‘anguish, torture’; comp. Du. kwaal, ‘pain,’ AS. cwalu, ‘violent death.’ To this word is allied a str. root vb. OHG. quëlan (MidHG. quëln), ‘to be in violent pain’ (AS. cwëlan, ‘to die’), of which the factitive is ModHG. quälen, MidHG. quęln, OHG. quęllen (from *qualljan), ‘to torture, torment to death.’ The Teut. root qel (qal) is primit. connected with Lith. gelti, ‘to prick’ (gélia, ‘it pains’), gėlà, ‘pain,’ OSlov. žalĭ, ‘hurt’ (Aryan root gē̆l).
Qualm, m., ‘vapour,’ ModHG. only, formed from the equiv. LG. and Du. kwalm, the early history of which is obscure. It is identical probably with MidHG. twalm, ‘stupor, faint.’
Quappe, f., ‘eel-pout, tadpole,’ ModHG. only, from LG. in which the OLG. word quappa occurs (comp. Du. kwab); the latter is primit. allied to OPruss. gabawo, ‘toad,’ OSlov. żaba (from the prim. form *gêba), ‘frog.’ The assumption that the word is borrowed from Lat. capito is less probable.
Quark, m., ‘curds, filth,’ from late MidHG. twarc (g), quarc (zwarc), ‘whey cheese,’ which is usually connected with MidHG. twërn, ‘to turn, stir, mix.’ It is more probably related to the equiv. Slav. cognates; comp. Russ. tvarogŭ, Pol. tvarog. Since Quark first appears in late MidHG., and is unknown to the other Teut. languages, it may be assumed that it was borrowed from Slav. Comp. Quirl.
Quart, n., ‘quart, quarto,’ from MidHG. quart, f. and n., ‘fourth part of anything’; formed like Du. kwart and E. quart from the Rom. cognates, Ital. quarto, Fr. quart.
Quarz, m., ‘quartz,’ from the equiv. MidHG. quarz; its relation to Du. kwarts, ​E. quartz, Ital. quarzo, and Fr. quartz has not yet been explained.
Quast, m., ‘tuft, tassel,’ from MidHG. quast (queste, koste), m. and f., ‘cluster of leaves, bath-brush’ (OHG. questa, ‘apron of leaves’); comp. Du. kwast, ‘brush for sprinkling holy water, brush’ (Dan. kost, ‘besom,’ akin to OIc. kvistr, ‘branch’).
queck, adj., ‘lively, quick,’ from MidHG. quëc (ck), OHG. quëc (cch), ‘living, fresh, gay’; for its early history see under the variant keck. —
Quecksilber, n., ‘quicksilver,’ from the equiv. MidHG. quëcsilber, OHG. quëcsilbar; an imitation, like Du. kwikzilver, E. quicksilver (AS. cwicseolfor), of the common Rom. argentum vivum; comp. Ital. argento vivo, Fr. vif-argent.
Quecke, f., ‘quick-grass,’ ModHG. only, from LG.; comp. Du. kweek, AS. cwiče, E. quitch-, couch-grass; these words seem to be connected with queck, ‘living,’ as a term for a luxuriant weed. “No plant has more vitality than this species of grass, which is propagated by its root, and therefore is very difficult to extirpate.”
Quelle, f., ‘spring, source,’ first occurs in early ModHG. (naturalised by Luther); a late derivative of the ModHG. str. vb. quellen, MidHG. quëllen, OHG. quëllan. From the variant kal (by gradation qel), derived from OIc. kelda, ‘spring’ (whence Finn. kaltio), and Goth. *kaldiggs, which is implied by OSlov. kladęzĭ, ‘spring’; likewise AS. collen, ‘swollen.’ The prehistoric root gel (gol) is related to Sans. jala, ‘water,’ gal, ‘to curl.’ — quellen, ‘to soak, cause to swell,’ is a factitive of OHG. quëllan, ‘to swell.’
Quendel, m., ‘wild thyme,’ from the equiv. MidHG. quëndel, most frequently quënel (konel), OHG. quënala (chonala), f.; comp. Du. kwendel, AS. cunele. It is hardly probable that this is an early loan-word from Lat. conîla (Gr. κονίλη), ‘thyme,’ since the Rom. languages have not preserved the word.
quengeln, vb., ‘to be peevish, grumble,’ ModHG. only, an intensive form of ModHG. twęngen, ‘to press’ (with East MidG. qu for tw); see zwängen.
Quentchen, n., ‘drachm, dram,’ from MidHG. quëntîn (quintîn), ‘fourth (orig. perhaps fifth?) part of a Lot (half-an-ounce)’; from MidLat. quintînus, which is wanting in Rom.
quer, adv., ‘athwart, crosswise,’ from the equiv. MidHG. (MidG.) twër (hence twër, f., ‘diagonal’); for further references see Zwerch-.
Quetsche, f., see Zwetsche.
quetschen, vb., ‘to crash, squeeze,’ from the equiv. MidHG. quętzen (even yet dial. quetzen), quętschen; akin to MidLG. quattern, quettern (Du. kwetsen, borrowed from HG.?).
quicken, vb., ‘to squeak, squeal,’ ModHG. only, a recent onomatopoetic word.
Quirl, m., ‘whisk, twirling stick,’ from the equiv. MidHG. twirel, twirl!, OHG. dwiril, ‘stirring stick’; akin to MidHG. twërn, OHG. dwëran, ‘to turn, stir’; allied to the equiv. OIc. subst. þvara. With the Teut. root þwer (Aryan twer), are connected Gr. τορύνη, and Lat. trua, ‘stirring spoon.’ It is doubtful whether Quark is allied.
quitt, adj., ‘quit, rid,’ from MidHG. quī̆t, ‘released, unencumbered, free’; borrowed about 1200 A.D. from the equiv. Fr. quitte, whence also Du. kwijt, E. quit (also E. quite); Fr. quitte and quitter, ‘to let go, forsake,’ are derived from Lat. quietare.
Quitte, f., ‘quince,’ from the equiv. MidHG. quiten, f. (OHG. *quitina is wanting), with the remarkable variant küten, from OHG. chutina (Swiss χütene), ‘quince.’ This latter form alone renders it possible that Quitte was borrowed from the equiv. Rom. cotônea, which is probably represented by Ital. cotogna and Fr. coing (whence E. quince and Du. kwee). The connection between Lat. cotônea (parallel form cottanum) and Gr. κυδώνεα is obscure, and so is the relation of OHG. *quitina to chutina. if the word was borrowed, it was introduced contemporaneously with Pflaume.