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

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T.
Tabak, masculine, ‘tobacco,’ Modern High German only; originally an American word (like Kartoffel), now found in all modern languages; compare Dutch tabak, English tobacco, French tabac, Italian tabacco, Spanish tabaco; ‘properly the roll through which the smoke of the prepared plant was imbibed.’
Tadel, masculine, ‘blame, censure, reproof,’ from Middle High German tadel, masculine and neuter, ‘fault, stain, defect (bodily or mental). The word is recorded at a remarkably late period — the end of the 12th century — but this, of course, does not prove that it was borrowed. The Teutonic root daþ (dad?) contained in it has been compared, probably without just grounds, with Greek τωθάω (root dhôdh), ‘to deride, mock.’
Tafel, feminine, ‘table, tablet, slab,’ from Middle High German tavel, tavele, feminine, ‘tablet, picture, table,’ Old High German tavala (tabala, tabella), feminine, ‘tablet’; borrowed during the Old High German period from Latin tabula, tabella. Even in the pre-High German period Latin tabula passed into High German and was normally permutated; compare Old High German zabal, Middle High German zabel (see Schach). It corresponds to the Romance cognates, Italian tavola, ‘table, tablet, board, picture, French table (English table). —
Tafelrunde, feminine, ‘Round Table,’ like the equivalent Middle High German tavelrande (especially of King Arthur); an imitation of French table ronde.
Tag, masculine, ‘day, daylight,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German tac (g), masculine; common to Teutonic in the form dago-; compare Gothic dags, Old Icelandic dagr, Anglo-Saxon dœg, English day (also to dawn), Dutch and Old Saxon dag. This specifically Teutonic word represents the stem, almost obsolete in Teutonic, of the equivalent Latin dies, Sanscrit dina, Old Slovenian dī̆nī̆ (Gothic sin-teins, ‘daily,’ see Sündflut). To explain Teutonic dago- (to which Anglo-Saxon dôgor, Old Icelandic dœ́gr, from dôgoz, dôgiz, are allied), it has been connected with the Sanscrit root dah (for Aryan dhē̆gh, dhō̆gh?), ‘to burn’; this appears further in Lithuanian dègti, ‘to burn,’ dágas, dagà, ‘harvest’ (also in Sanscrit áhar, neuter, ‘day’?). Hence the base dhógho-s, common to German Tag and Lithuanian dágas, means perhaps ‘the hot period of the day or year’ (compare Ostern as a proof that names for periods of the day and year may be identical). Tag in German denoted originally only the light period of the day; the day of twenty-four hours was called Nacht. —
täglich, adjective and adverb ‘daily,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tagelîch (tegelîch), adjective, tagelichen (tege-lîches), adverb, Old High German tagalîh, adjective, tagalîhhin, tagolîhhes, adverb. The adjective has been formed from the adverb, which is again a combination of two words, as in the phrase (allaro) tago gilîh (hes); for gilîh in the sense of ‘every,’ see männiglich; tago gilîhhes (literally ‘on each of the days’) is an adverb genit. like Old High German, Middle High German, and Modern High German des tages. See further verteidigen.
Takel, neuter, ‘tackle,’ Modern High German only, adopted, like many nautical terms, from Low German; compare the equivalent Dutch takel, English tackle, Danish takkel, Swedish takel. The literal meaning of this, which is peculiar to maritime dialects, was ‘implements (in general),’ which leads to kinship with Gothic taujan, ‘to make’ (compare tooijen, ‘to adorn,’ English tool).
Talg, masculine, ‘tallow,’ Modern High German only, from Low German (talg), hence unknown to Swabian and Bavarian; allied to Dutch talk, Anglo-Saxon *tealg, English tallow, Old Icelandic tolgr. Teutonic talgo- (tolgo-) cannot be traced farther back; yet note Anglo-Saxon tœlg, ‘colour’ (see Seife). It is scarcely connected with Gothic tulgus, ‘firm’ (Talg, literally ‘that which has become solid’?). The proper High German (Upper German) word is Unschlitt.
Tand, masculine, ‘toy, trifle, bauble,’ from Middle High German tant, masculine, ‘idle talk, tricks’ (to which Middle High German tanten, ‘to play a practical joke,’ is allied). —
Tändelei, feminine, ‘toying, trifling, dawdling,’ Modern High German only, is a derivative of Tand (in Middle High German once only tenterîe). In Old High German only a corresponding tantarôn, ‘to be mentally perplexed,’ is recorded. No further light can be thrown on the High German stem tant.
​ Tann, masculine, see the following word.
Tanne, feminine, ‘fir tree,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tanne, feminine, Old High German tanna, signifies ‘fir tree, oak,’ hence the primary idea of the word is usually ‘forest tree’ (see Eiche, Buche). This is supported by Modern High German Tann, masculine, from Middle High German tan (nn), masculine and neuter, ‘forest’' (Old High German tan-ęsil, ‘wild ass’), which seems to be based on a collective signification of Tanne. The early history of the High German cognates (to which Old Dutch dęnnia, Dutch den, ‘fir tree,’ is allied) is uncertain. Its connection with Greek θάμνος, ‘thicket,’ is dubious.
Tante, feminine, ‘aunt,’ Modern High German only, formed from French tante; for the genuine German words preserved dialectically see Base and Muhme.
Tanz, masculine, ‘dance, ball,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tanz, masculine, to which Middle High German and Modern High German tanzen is allied. The word was first adopted in the 11th century. In Old High German the verbs were salzôn (which, like Anglo-Saxon sealtian, was borrowed at an early period from Latin saltâre), and the genuine Teutonic tûmôn and leihhan (compare Leich). The late appearance of Middle High German tanzen tends to show that it is a loan-word; it is based on the equivalent. Romance cognates, Italian danzare (French danser, whence English to dance, and Dutch dansen). It is true that, considering the late period at which it was borrowed, the High German t compared to Italian d is abnormal. The Romance cognates are themselves of Teutonic origin, which has been sought in Old High German dansôn, ‘to draw’ (allied to Gothic þinsan; see gedunsen).
tapfer, adjective, ‘brave, variant, bold,’ from Middle High German tapfer (dapfer, tapfel), ‘firm, pressed, full, weighty, important’ (only in late Middle High German brave), Old High German tapfar, ‘heavy, weighty, important’; compare Dutch dapper, ‘brave, much,’ English dapper. The connection in meaning with Old Slovenian doblĭ, ‘strong, able,’ debelŭ, ‘stout,’ and dobrŭ, ‘beautiful, good,’ is quite clear, but it is difficult to show how it is related to the corresponding Old Icelandic dapr, ‘sad’; note, however, Modern High German dreist, ‘bold, audacious,’ Old High German drîsti, Old Low German thrîsti, compared with Latin trîstis.
Tappe, feminine (in Swabian and Alemannian Dopen, masculine), ‘claw, paw,’ from the equivalent Middle High German *tā̆ppe (only tâpe is recorded), feminine; origin and early history obscure. To this is allied Modern High German täppisch, adjective, ‘awkward, clumsy,’ since Middle High German tappe (tâpe) occurs also as ‘uncouth, loutish person’; hence also Modern High German tappen, verb, ‘to flounder along, grope one's way,’ literally ‘to behave awkwardly.
Tarnkappe, feminine, ‘magic cap,’ see Kappe; the first component is Old Teutonic darni, ‘secret,’ Old High German tarni, Anglo-Saxon dyrne. To this Middle English dâren, ‘to conceal oneself,’ is allied.
Tasche, feminine, ‘pocket, pouch, wallet,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tasche (tęsche), Old High German tasca, feminine. An obscure word, the relation of which to the equivalent. Romance cognate Italian tasca cannot be defined. The ‘origin of the word and the history of its further diffusion is unknown.
Tasse, feminine, ‘cup,’ Modern High German only, from French tasse (compare Italian tazza, from Arabic tassah, ‘bowl’).
tasten, verb, ‘to touch, fumble, grope,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tasten, weak verb. Borrowed about 1200 A.D. from the Romance cognate Italian tastare (French tâter), ‘to feel, fumble,’ which is based on a Latin *taxitare (allied to late Latin taxare, ‘to touch sharply’).
Tatze, feminine, ‘paw, claw,’ from Middle High German tatze, feminine, ‘hand, paw.’ The origin and history of this word, which cannot be traced farther back, are obscure.
Tau (1.), neuter (unknown to Swabian and Bavarian), ‘rope, cable,’ Modern High German only; properly a Low German word, based on Old Icelandic taug, ‘cord, rope’ (whence English tow, Dutch touw). The latter is connected with the Teutonic root tuh (tang), in Modern High German ziehen. From the Low German word French touer, ‘to tow a ship,’ is derived. For the words borrowed by High German from Low German see Strand, Boot, &c.
Tau (2.), masculine, ‘dew,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German tou (genitive touwes), neuter (Middle German also, masculine); corresponding to the equivalent Old Saxon dau, Dutch dauw, Anglo-Saxon deáw, English dew, Old Icelandic dǫgg (Gothic *daggwa is wanting), whence English (dialectic) dag. Teutonic dauwo-, from pre-Teutonic dháwo-, is generally connected with the Sanscrit root dhā̆v, ‘to run, flow, stream.’
taub, adjective, ‘deaf, torpid,’ from Middle High German and Old High German toup (b), ‘deaf, insensible, stupid, foolish, mad’; corresponding to Gothic daufs (b), ‘callous,’ Anglo-Saxon deáf, English deaf, and the equivalent Dutch doof. Since the meanings of the Old High German and Middle High German adjective border on those of Old High German and Middle High German tump (see dumm), the two words are certainly connected. The assumed relation (see dumm) to the Aryan root dhubh, ‘to be blunt, obtuse, deafened,’ preserved in Greek τυφλός, ‘blind,’ leads further to toben and its ​cognates. Modern High German betäuben, ‘to deafen, stun,’ from Middle High German töuben, Middle High German and Old High German touben, weak verb, ‘to deprive of sensation or strength, to annihilate,’ supports the assumed primary meaning.
Taube, feminine, ‘dove, pigeon,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tûbe, Old High German tûba, feminine; corresponding to the equivalent Gothic dûbô, Anglo-Saxon dûfe, English dove, Dutch duif. This common Teutonic term (for which Gothic ahaks, Anglo-Saxon culufre, ‘dove,’ are also found) has been connected with a Teutonic root dū̆b, ‘to dive,’ which appears in Anglo-Saxon dŷfan, English to dive, Taube being regarded as originally ‘water-dove.’ It is more probably related to Old Irish dub, ‘black,’ duibe, ‘blackness’; compare Greek πέλεια, ‘wild pigeon,’ from πελοός, ‘dark blue.’
Tauber, masculine, ‘male pigeon,’ for which tiuber occurs in Middle High German.
tauchen, verb, ‘to dip, dive,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tûcken, weak verb, Old High German tûhhan, strong verb; compare Dutch duiken, ‘to dive, duck,’ English to duck (whence also English duck, Anglo-Saxon dûce); see further ducken. Other terms derived from the Teutonic root duk, ‘to stoop, dive,’ are wanting. The connection of the word with taufen is improbable.
Taucher, masculine, ‘diver’ (bird), from the equivalent Middle High German tûhhœre, Old High German tûhhâri, masculine.
tauen, verb, ‘to thaw,’ from Middle High German touwen, töuwen, Old High German douwen, dęwen (dôan), weak verb, ‘to dissolve’; compare Dutch dooijen, Anglo-Saxon þâwan, English to thaw, Old Icelandic þeyja. With Modern High German Tauwind, masculine, ‘thaw wind, compare Dutch dooij, English thaw, Old Icelandic þeyr. If the Teutonic root þaw, ‘to dissolve’ (compare verdauen), exhibited in all these words, has originated in þagw, equivalent to Aryan tē̆q, Greek τήκω, ‘to melt,’ τακερός, ‘liquid,’ may be counted as cognates. Yet the Teutonic words, as well as Osset. t‘ayun, ‘to thaw,’ may point to an Aryan root taw.
Taufe, feminine, ‘baptism, christening,’ from the equivalent Middle High German toufe, Old High German toufa (toufî), feminine; allied to taufen, verb, ‘to baptize, christen,’ Middle High German töufen, toufen, Old High German toufen (from *toufjan). The primary meaning of the verb is preserved by Middle High German toufen, ‘to dip under,’ which is properly a causative of tief. Gothic daupjan, Old Low German dôpian, Dutch doopen, exhibit the Christian meaning, which Anglo-Saxon represented by fulwian (fulwiht, ‘baptism’); compare Old Icelandic kristna, ‘to baptize.’ In its relation to the history of civilisation taufen is as difficult to determine as Heide (which see). It cannot be positively affirmed whether the Middle European term daupjan “has been restricted in meaning solely because the Goths, who were first to receive Christianity, rendered the Greek word βαπτίζειν by the corresponding daupjan; this word, as the designation of the first sacrament, was then adopted from them (with Heide, Kirche, Pfaffe, and Teufel) by the Western Teutons, and was so firmly rooted among the latter that the Anglo-Saxon missionaries could no longer think of supplanting it by their corresponding verb fulwian.” Perhaps, however, the Old Teutonic daupjan had even in the heathen acquired a ritual sense which fitted it to become the representative of the Christian-Romance baptizare (Irish baitism).
taugen, verb, ‘to be of use, be good or fit for,’ from Middle High German tugen, Old High German tugan (present singular touc), preterite present, ‘to be capable, useful, suitable, to be of use, to suit.’ Corresponding to Old Saxon dugan, ‘to be capable, be of use,’ Dutch deugen, ‘to be of use,’ Anglo-Saxon dugan, Old Icelandic duga, Gothic dugan, ‘to be fit, of use’ The Teutonic verbal root dug (daug) might, like Lithuanian daúg, ‘much,’ daúksinti, ‘to increase,’ point to Aryan dhugh (Greek τύχη, ‘fortune,’ τυγχάνω, ‘I am fortunate’?). To this are allied tüchtig and Tugend.
Taumel, masculine, ‘reeling, staggering, frenzy,’ from Middle High German tū̆meln (tū̆men, tū̆melieren), ‘to reel, stagger,’ Old High German tûmalôn (tū̆môn), ‘to turn.’ From the Old High German and Middle High German variant with is derived tummeln (compare also Rohrdommel). The Teutonic root dû contained in these words leads to kinship with the Sanscrit root dhû, ‘to storm along, put in violent motion, shake.’
Tausch, masculine, ‘exchange, barter’; Modern High German only; in late Middle High German (15th century) we meet for the first time with rostiuchœre, ‘horse-dealer’ (compare Dutch paardentuischer), and verûschen, ‘to exchange.’ The word is properly Low German; compare Dutch tuischen, ‘to barter.’ How täuschen, ‘to deceive,’ from late Middle High German tiuschen (tûschen), ‘to deceive, make game of some one’ (late Middle High German tûsch, ‘mockery, joke, deception’), is connected with this word is not clear.
tausend, neuter and masculine, ‘thousand,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tûsend (tûsunt), Old High German tûsunt, dûsunt; corresponding to Gothic þûsundi, Anglo-Saxon þûsend, English thousand, Dutch duizend, Old Saxon thûsind. While the lower numerals up to a hundred are common to all the Aryan languages, the term for a thousand occurs elsewhere only in the Slavonic group; compare Old Slovenian tysąšta, Lithuanian ​túkstantis. The primary meaning and further history of the Slavonic-Teutonic word tûsntî, tûsontî, can no longer be discovered; perhaps Slavonic borrowed this word in prehistoric times from Teutonic (in Sanscrit sahasra, Zend hazaṅhra, Greek χίλιοι for *χέσλιοι, equivalent to gheslio-; in Latin mîlia, equivalent to Greek μύρια). —
Tausendgüldenkraut, neuter, ‘centaury,’ Modern High German only, an erroneous version of the Latin centaurea (as if it were a compound of centum and aurum. It is really Greek κενταύριον).
Teer, masculine and neuter, ‘tar,’ early Modern High German only, a Low German word (unknown to Swabian and Bavarian); compare Dutch teer, Anglo-Saxon teoro (tyrwe), English tar, and the equivalent Old Icelandic tjara (to which Old Icelandic tyrviðr, ‘pine-wood,’ is allied). The High German form Zehr is recorded in the Modern High German period in Hessian. These cognates meaning ‘tar’ are old derivatives of a Teutonic word trewo-, ‘tree’ (compare Gothic triu, English tree), which is based upon Aryan derw-, dorw- (dru), ‘tree, wood’; compare Greek δρῦς, ‘oak’ (δόρυ, ‘spear’), Old Slovenian drěvo, ‘tree, wood,’ and the equivalent Sanscrit dâru (dru); see also Trog. Teer means literally ‘the thick oil from trees’ (especially from resinous pine-trees?); compare Lithuanian darvà, ‘‘pine-wood,’ and Lettic darwa, ‘tar.’
Teich, masculine, ‘pond, pool,’ from Middle High German tîch, masculine, ‘fish-pond, pond’ (it is uncertain whether Old High German dîh, ‘eddy, whirlpool,’ is the same word. The Low German cognates of Modern High German Deich seem to be connected; Anglo-Saxon dîč, English ditch, dike (Old Icelandic díke), border on the meaning of Teich. Teutonic dîko- (from dhîghn-?) may be primitively allied to Greek τίφος (from dhîghos?), neuter, ‘pond, bog.’
teig, adjective, ‘mellow’ (of fruit), from the equivalent Middle High German teic; allied to the following word.
Teig, masculine, ‘dough,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German teic (g), masculine; corresponding to Dutch deeg, Anglo-Saxon dâh, English dough, and the equivalent Old Icelandic deig, neuter; a derivative of a Teutonic root dī̆g, ‘to knead,’ from which the adjective teig and Modern High German Tiegel, ‘stewpan,’ are derived. A more general meaning is exhibited by Gothic deigan, ‘to form from clay,’ which is derived from Aryan dhī̆gh, and is connected with Sanscrit dih, ‘to bedaub, cement, besmear.’ To these are also allied Latin figulus, ‘potter,’ fingere, ‘to form,’ figura, ‘shape,’ Greek τεῖχος, τοῖχος (for θεῖχος, θοῖχος), ‘wall.’
Teil, masculine and neuter, ‘part, share, portion,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German teil, masculine and neuter; corresponding to Gothic dails, daila, feminine, Old Saxon dêl, masculine, Dutch deel, neuter, Anglo-Saxon dœ̂l (dâl), and English deal (dole). Teutonic dai-li (lo) seems to point to an Aryan root dhai (see tilgen), which is proved by Old Slovenian dělŭ, ‘part.’ —
teilen, weak verb, ‘to divide, share,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German teilen (Gothic dailjan), is a denominative, like Old Slovenian děliti, ‘to share.’ —
teils, adverb, ‘partly,’ first used as an adverb in Modern High German. — The Modern High German suffix -tel in Drittel, Viertel, &c., is based upon Middle High German teil (dritteil, vierteil, &c.; see also Urtel from Urteil).
Teller, masculine, ‘plate, salver,’ from the equivalent Middle High German teller, teler (telier), masculine; the word was borrowed in the 14th century from Italian tagliere (French tailloir), ‘chopping board,’ which belongs, like Italian tagliare (French tailler), ‘to cut to pieces,’ to Italian taglia, ‘incision’; compare French détail.
Tempel, masculine, ‘temple,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tëmpel, masculine and neuter, Old High German tëmpal, neuter; borrowed during the Old High German period (with ecclesiastical words like Kloster, Altar, &c.) from Latin templum. A Teutonic word used in pre-Christian times for the same idea was Old Saxon alah, Anglo-Saxon ealh, Gothic alhs.
Tenne, feminine, ‘threshing-floor,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tęnne, neuter, feminine, and masculine, Old High German tęnni, neuter. No corresponding word occurs in this sense in the allied Teutonic dialects. It has been connected with Anglo-Saxon dęnu, ‘valley,’ Anglo-Saxon and English den; but Tenne is rather a derivative of Tanne (literally ‘made of fir’).
Teppich, masculine, ‘carpet, tablecloth,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German tęppī̆ch, tębech, masculine and neuter; borrowed probably in the 8th century from Romance. The variants Old High German and Middle High German tęppī̆d, tęppī̆t, point immediately to Italian tappeto, Latin tapêtum, or rather tapêt- (French tapis). Modern High German Tapet, Tapete, and tapezieren are more recent loanwords; compare Italian tappezzare, ‘to paper’ (a room).
Terne, feminine, ‘three winning numbers (in a lottery),’ Modern High German only, from the equivalent Italian terno.
teuer, adjective, ‘dear, costly, precious,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tiure, tiur, Old High German tiuri; corresponding to the equivalent Old Saxon diuri, Dutch duur, Anglo-Saxon dŷre, deóre, English dear (to which darling, from Anglo-Saxon deórling, is allied), Old Icelandic dýrr. For the gradation û (Modern High German tûr, ‘esteem’), iu, see dauern (2). The early history of this common Teutonic adjective, which is wanting only in Gothic, cannot be ascertained.
​ Teufel, masculine, ‘devil, demon,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tiuvel (tievel), masculine, Old High German tiuval, tioval, masculine (in the plural, neuter also); corresponding to Old Saxon diuƀal, Dutch duivel, Anglo-Saxon deófol, equivalent to English devil. The West Teutonic words have apparently genuine Teutonic sounds; on account, however, of the equivalent Gothic diabaúlus, Greek-Latin diabolus, it is certain that the word was borrowed. The early existence of the West Teutonic word, attested by the permutation of Low German d to High German t, can only be explained by the assumption that it was introduced into High German in the 5th or 6th century through a Gothic medium (as also taufen, Pfaffe, Kirche, Heide, Samstag, and probably Engel), for the connection of the cognates with Greek-Latin (Ecclesiast.) diabolus cannot be doubted. The genuine High German term for ‘evil spirit’ was Goth unhulþô, Old High German unholda, literally ‘the demons.’
Text, masculine, ‘text,’ even in late Middle High German tëxt, formed from Latin textus.
Thal, neuter, ‘valley,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German tal, masculine and neuter; corresponding to Gothic, Old Saxon, and Dutch dal, Anglo-Saxon dœl, English dale (to which English dell is allied), Old Icelandic dalr, ‘valley.’ From the same Aryan root dhō̆, ‘to lie low,’ is derived Anglo-Saxon dęne, dęnu, ‘valley.’ In the non-Teutonic group, Greek θόλος, ‘dome-shaped roof, rotunda’ (literally ‘deepening, excavation’?) is regarded as cognate; Old Slovenian dolŭ, ‘valley,’ is certainly allied. —
zu Thal (of rivers, ‘down-stream’) from the equivalent Middle High German ze tal, ‘down’ (compare Gothic dalaþ, ‘downwards’); in opposition to zu Berg (see Berg) ‘upwards.’
Thaler, masculine, ‘dollar’ (three shillings), first recorded in the 15th century; an abbreviation of Joachimsthaler for ‘florin from Joachimsthal’ (in Bohemia). From the German word are derived Italian tallero, Dutch daalder, English dollar.
That, feminine, ‘deed, act, fact,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German tât, feminine; a verbal noun formed by gradation from thun. Corresponding to Gothic dêþs, Old Icelandic dáð, Anglo-Saxon dœ̂d, English deed, Dutch daad, Old Saxon dâd. Teutonic dé-di-, from dhê-tí, formed from the Teutonic root dê, dô, from Aryan dhê, dhô. The graded form ê (â) is seen also in the Old High German participle gitân, Middle High German and Modern High German getân. —
thätig, adjective, ‘active, energetic,’ from Middle High German tœtec, Old High German tâtîc.
Thau, see Tau (2).
thauen, see tauen.
Thee, masculine, ‘tea,’ Modern High German only, derived, like French thé, Dutch thee, and English tea, from Chinese the.
Theer, see Teer.
Theiding, neuter, in Narrentheiding, ‘empty talk,’ from Middle High German teidinc, tagedinc, ‘discussion, negotiation, talk’ (properly ‘the judicial proceeding’ appointed for a certain day or period). Compare Ding and verteidigen.
Theil, see Teil.
Theriak, masculine, ‘antidote; treacle’; in Middle High German drîakel, trîakel, trîaker (Dutch teriaak, triakel), from Greek-Middle Latin θηριακόν, ‘remedy for the bite of wild animals.’
theuer, see teuer.
Thier, see Tier.
Thon, masculine, ‘clay,’ earlier Modern High German Than, Tahen, from Middle High German tâhe, dâhe, Old High German dâha, feminine, ‘clay, loam’ (also ‘earthen vessel’); corresponding to Gothic þâhô (from *þânhô), feminine, ‘clay,’ Anglo-Saxon þô (older þôhœ), feminine, ‘clay,’ Old Icelandic þá, feminine, ‘clayey soil.’ No words occur in the other Aryan languages to elucidate the implied pre-Teutonic tankân, ‘loam.’
Thor (1.), masculine, ‘fool,’ from Middle High German tôre, tôr, masculine, ‘insane person, fool’; *tôro, masculine, has not yet been found in Old High German. The r of the adjective has originated in s (z), as is shown by Old High German tusîg, Anglo-Saxon dysig, ‘foolish,’ English dizzy, and Dutch duizelig, ‘dizzy.’ For further Teutonic cognates of the Aryan root dhus (dhaus, dhwē̆s) see under Dusel; it is uncertain whether Latin furere, ‘to rage,’ is derived from this root dhus. —
thöricht, adjective, ‘foolish, silly,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tôrëht, tœreht (also tœrisch, tœrsch). —
Thorheit, feminine, ‘foolishness,’ from Middle High German tôrheit.
Thor (2.), neuter, ‘gate, gateway,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German tor, neuter; corresponding to Gothic daúr, Old Saxon dor, neuter, ‘gate, door.’ See Thür.
Thran, masculine, ‘train-oil, blubber,’ Modern High German only, a Low German word, corresponding to Dutch traan, Danish and Swedish tran. The origin and primary meaning of the word are unknown.
Thräne, feminine, ‘tear’ (in Swabian and Bavarian Zähre is the popular term), from the equivalent late Middle High German trêne, feminine; properly the plural of the Middle High German singular trahen (contracted trân), masculine; corresponding to Old High German trahan (trân), masculine (Old Saxon trahni, plural), ‘tears’; Teutonic base, trahnu-. The equivalent Middle High German traher recalls Middle High German zaher (see Zähre), so that Teutonic tahru must have had the parallel ​forms trahru and trahnu. More definite information concerning the early history of Middle High German trahen, traher, cannot be ascertained.
Thron, masculine, ‘throne,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trôn, masculine, which originated in French trône, or, with the lengthening of the vowel in an open syllable, in Latin (Greek) thronus (compare Italian trono).
thun, verb, ‘to do, perform, make,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German tuon; corresponding to Old Saxon dûan, Dutch doen, Anglo-Saxon dôn, English to do. Further details concerning this essentially West Teutonic strong verbal root dô, dê (in Gothic taujan, ‘to do’), belongs to grammar; yet see also That and the suffix -tum. The pre-Teutonic dhô, dhê, has a wide ramification in the other Aryan languages. Compare the Greek root θη, θε, in τίθημι ‘to put, do,’ Sanscrit root dhâ (dadhâmi and dhãmi), ‘to put, lay, do’ (dhâtṛ, ‘creator’), Old Slovenian děją (and deždą), ‘to do, make,’ Latin facio (perfect fêci, equivalent to Greek ἔθηκα).
Thunfisch, masculine, ‘tunny,’ Modern High German only, from the equivalent Latin thunnus (Greek θύννος), whence Italian tonno, French thon (English tunny).
Thür, feminine, ‘door,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tür, Old High German turi, feminine; properly a plural form, the idea being often expressed by such a form; in Old High German we find turi as plural with a singular meaning (the stem was really dur-). Corresponding to Old Saxon duri (dura), Dutch deur, Anglo-Saxon duru (dyre); Old Icelandic dyrr is plural only. The common Aryan stem dhur (dhwer) recurs in Greek θύρα, θύρετρον, ‘door,’ to which θαιρός, ‘hinge of a door,’ and θυρών, ‘vestibule’ (compare Gothic daurôns, plural only, ‘door’), are allied; Latin fores, ‘door,’ Old Slovenian dvĭrĭ, ‘door’ (dvorŭ, ‘court’), Lithuanian dùrys, ‘door.’ To these are allied the equivalent Sanscrit dur, dvâr, which in the oldest period was inflected only in the dual or plural (the initial aspirate is dropped, because the case suffix begins with an aspirate). The primary meaning of this word, which has invariably the Modern High German signification, cannot be discovered. Allied to Thor.
Thurm, see Turm.
tief, adjective, ‘deep, profound, low,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tief, Old High German tiof; corresponding to Old Saxon diop, Dutch diep, Anglo-Saxon deóp, English deep (depth and to dip), Old Icelandic djópr, and Gothic diups, ‘deep.’ The common Teutonic adjective diupa-, of which Modern High German taufen is a factitive, belongs to a Teutonic root dū̆p, the variant of which, dū̆b, appears in Anglo-Saxon dŷfan, English to dive (see Taube), as well as in English dub. Compare Welsh dwfn, Old Irish fudomain, Lithuanian dubùs, ‘deep, hollow,’ Old Slovenian duplĭ, ‘hollow’ (see Tobel), from an Aryan root dhub, dhup. For a nasalised Teutonic root dump, see Tümpel.
Tiegel, masculine, ‘stewpan, crucible,’ from Middle High German tigel, tëgel, Old High German tëgal, ‘crucible’; corresponding to the equivalent Old Icelandic digull (Swedish degel, Danish digel). The cognates cannot have been derived from Latin tegula (yet compare Ziegel). The word is probably based on the Teutonic root dī̆g, ‘to knead, form,’ discussed under Teig.
Tier, neuter, ‘animal, beast, brute,’ from Middle High German tier, Old High German tior, neuter, ‘animal,’ especially ‘wild beast’ (hence Modern High German Tiergarten); corresponding to Old Saxon dior, ‘wild east,’ Dutch dier, ‘animal,’ Anglo-Saxon deór, English deer (in Middle High German also, as well as in the language of sportsmen in Modern High German, tier is often used in the sense of ‘roe’ and ‘hind’), Old Icelandic dýr, neuter, ‘animal,’ especially ‘wild beast,’ and also ‘roe, stag.’ Gothic dius, ‘wild beast,’ shows that the r of the words quoted are based upon Aryan s (base dheuso-?); to this the Anglo-Saxon adjective deór, ‘bold,’ and Old High German tiorlîh, ‘wild,’ are traced; hence Gothic dius, ‘animal,’ is probably an adjective used as a substantive (literally ‘the wild creature’). Tier, therefore, was originally quite distinct from Vieh, ‘useful gregarious animal.’ Latin animal with anima suggests the supposition that the cognates belong to an Aryan root dhus, ‘to breathe’ (compare Old Slovenian duša, duchŭ, ‘spirit, soul’).
tilgen, verb, ‘to extinguish, erase, eradicate,’ from Middle High German tîlgen (tîligen), Old High German tîligon, and also tîlôn, weak verb, ‘to exterminate, extirpate.’ Compare Old Saxon far-dîligôn, Dutch delgen, Anglo-Saxon â-dîlgian, ‘to extirpate.’ It is remarkable that the word was borrowed from Latin dêlêre, considering its wide diffusion in the West Teutonic languages (we should also have expected *tialên in Old High German).
Tinte, feminine, ‘ink, tint,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tinte, tinkte (for nct and nt compare bunt and Spunt), Old High German tincta, feminine; the word is evidently borrowed; it is based on the equivalent Latin tincta (literally ‘coloured, variegated things’), whence Italian and Spanish tinta, ‘ink.’ It is clear, therefore, that the spelling Tinte is historically more correct than Dinte; the latter is due to Middle German and Low German. In Old High German atraminza (from Latin atramentum, compare Old French errement) was used. The equivalent ​English ink, Dutch inkt, Rhenish inkes, are based on the Romance cognates, French encre, Old French enques, Italian inchiostro (the ultimate source is Latin-Greek ἔγκαυστον).
Tisch, masculine, ‘table,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tisch, Old High German tisc, masculine; corresponding to Old Saxon disc, Dutch disch. The Old High German word also means ‘dish,’ the antiquity of which is proved by Anglo-Saxon disč, ‘dish, bowl,’ English dish. The Greek-Latin discus, on which the cognates are based, has the late signification ‘dish’ (post-classical; properly ‘disk’); yet compare also Italian desco, ‘table,’ Old French dois, ‘table’ (Modern French dais, ‘canopy, dais’).
Titel, masculine, ‘title, claim,’ from Middle High German titel (tittel), Old High German titul, tital, masculine; from the equivalent Latin titulus, whence also French titre, Italian titolo.
Tobel, masculine, ‘narrow valley,’ from Middle High German tobel, Old High German tobal, masculine, ‘forest ravine, valley’; a derivative of the Teutonic root dub, dup (see Tief), to which Lithuanian daubà, dauburà, ‘valley,’ Old Slovenian duplĭ, ‘hollow,’ dĭbrĭ, ‘valley, ravine,’ are primitively cognate (Aryan root dhup, dhub).
toben, verb, ‘to fume, rage, bluster,’ from the equivalent Middle High German toben, Old High German tôbên (tobôn), weak verb; corresponding to the equivalent Anglo-Saxon dofian, ‘delirare’ (gedof, ‘fury, rage, madness’). Based on the Teutonic root dub, ‘to be mentally confused, to be deafened,’ from which taub and dumm are also derived. Whether we have to assume on account of Old High German tûfar, tûbar, ‘silly, foolish,’ an Aryan root dhū̆p, dhū̆q, is dubious; perhaps Lithuanian dúkti, ‘to grow mad,’ dúkis, ‘fury, madness,’ are primitively allied to the cognates of toben.
Tochter, feminine, ‘daughter,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tohter, Old High German tohter, feminine; a common Teutonic, and also a primitively Aryan term; compare Gothic daúhtar, Anglo-Saxon dohtor, English daughter, Dutch dochter, Old Saxon dohtar, ‘daughter.’ The primit Aryan dhuktêr (dhugatêr), on which the Teutonic cognates are based, is indicated also by Lithuanian duktě, Old Slovenian dŭšti; compare further Greek θυγάτηρ, Sanscrit duhitâr, Zend duγδar, ‘daughter.’ The Aryan word is usually considered to be a derivative of the Sanscrit root dugh, ‘to milk,’ regarding Tochter as equivalent to ‘milker.’ This assumption is, however, quite as dubious as the derivation of Vater, Mutter, and Bruder.
Tod, masculine, ‘death,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tôt (d), Old High German tôd, masculine; corresponding to Gothic dauþus, Old Saxon dôth, Dutch dood, Anglo-Saxon deáþ, English death. A verbal abstract of the Teutonic verbal root dau, which has been preserved in Old Icelandic deyja, strong verb (whence the equivalent English to die); compare Old Saxon dôian (from daujan), Old High German and Middle High German touwen (Middle High German töuwen), weak verb, ‘to die.’ Teutonic dau-þu- has the Latin-Sanscrit suffix tu- (base dháu-tu-s). The adjective cognate Modern High German tot, ‘dead,’ is based on the to participle of the same root, dhā̆u (participle dhautó), With these are connected in the non-Teutonic languages Old Slovenian daviti, ‘to strangle,’ Lithuanian dóvyti, ‘to torment,’ which correspond as causatives to Gothic dôjan (for *dôwjan), ‘to torment’ (literally ‘to put to death’). The original form of the root was dhē̆w, dhō̆w.
todt, see tot.
toll, adjective, ‘mad, frantic, absurd,’ from Middle High German and Old High German tol (with one l), adjective, ‘foolish, absurd,’ to which Old High German tulisc, ‘foolish,’ is allied. Compare Old Saxon, Dutch, and Anglo-Saxon dol, ‘foolish,’ English dull. The Teutonic root dul contained in these words has a variant dwal, which has been preserved in Gothic dwals, foolish, Anglo-Saxon gedwëlan, ‘to err,’ Old High German gitwola, ‘infatuation, delusion, heresy,’ Old Saxon dwalm, ‘infatuation, delusion.’ An Aryan root dhwel, dhul, ‘to be infatuated, deluded,’ is also attested by Sanscrit dhvṛ, dhûr (dhru), ‘to deceive, cheat, injure.’
Tölpel, masculine, ‘blockhead, booby,’ from Middle High German törpel, dörpel, properly dörper, dörpœre, masculine, ‘peasant, clownish person, blockhead’; really identical with Dörfer, ‘villager.’ Middle High German dörper is a Middle German and Low German form (for genuine Middle High German dorfœre). The Low German form of the Middle High German word is explained by the fact that Flanders, the medium by which French terms relating to the court and chivalry were introduced into Germany, also furnished some words (compare Wappen) to High German.
Ton, masculine, ‘tone, sound,’ from Middle High German tôn, dôn, masculine, ‘sound, tone, voice, song melody’; from Greek-Latin tŏnus (τόνος), with lengthening of the ŏ; compare Thron. Hence Modern High German tönen, verb, ‘to sound, resound,’ from Middle High German tœnen, dœnen.
Tonne, feminine, ‘tun, cask, barrel,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tunne, Old High German tunna, feminine. A corresponding word with a similar form is preserved by Dutch ton, Anglo-Saxon tunne, English tun; according to these Low German cognates the High German word ought to have an initial z, or rather the cognates an initial d. Hence the word must have been borrowed by one or the other, which is all the more probable since ​it is wanting in Swabian and Bavarian. The Romance languages have French tonne (tonneau), Spanish and Portug. tonel. Probably Keltic is the ultimate source of the word; compare Irish and Gaelic tunna, ‘tun, cask.’ In that case, the word passed into High German after 700 A.D., When the t could not be permutated to z. The form of Old Swedish þyn, ‘tun, cask,’ shows that it was borrowed at a much earlier period.
Topas, masculine, ‘topaz,’ from the equivalent Middle High German topâȥe (topazîe), masculine; derived, like most of the terms for precious stones, through a Latin medium from Greek. Compare Greek τόπαζος, τοπάζιον, ‘topaz.’
Topf, masculine, ‘pot,’ from the equivalent Middle High German topf (with the diminutive variant tüpfen), masculine; this word, which is rare in Middle High German, is wanting in Old High German. The primitively word is unknown to Upper German (Hafen being used), yet Alemannian has preserved dipfi, düpfi, ‘iron pot with three legs,’ Hessian dippen, ‘pot’ (Luther Töpfen); in Dutch and English the divergent form pot occurs. Middle High German topf, ‘olla,’ is probably more closely related to Middle High German topf, topfe, Old High German topf, tof (topfo), ‘top’ (toy), so too Modern High German dialectic Topf, ‘top’ (toy); Anglo-Saxon and English top is exceptional. The word is based on the Teutonic root dup, ‘to be deep, hollow’ (see tief); Topf, literally ‘that which has been hollowed out.’
Topp, masculine, ‘top’ (of a mast), Modern High German only, borrowed, like most nautical terms, from Low German. Compare Dutch top, English top. For further cognates see under Zopf.
Torf, masculine, ‘turf, peat,’ Modern High German only, a Low German loan-word unknown to Bavarian; compare Low German torf, Dutch, Anglo-Saxon, and English turf, and the equivalent Old Icelandic torf. In Old High German we find a genuine High German form zurba, ‘sward,’ with a normal permutation, for which Swiss now has turbe, with the Low German permutation. The Old Teutonic word passed (in a Low German form) into Romance; compare Italian torbo, French tourbe, ‘turf.’ This form Torf (literally ‘sward’), originally common to Teutonic, is based on pre-Teutonic drbh, and is connected with Sanscrit darbhá, ‘tuft of grass.’
Torkel, feminine, ‘wine-press,’ from Middle High German torkel, Old High German torkula, feminine, ‘wine or oil press.’ From Latin torcula, torculum.
torkeln, verb, ‘to reel, stagger,’ from the equivalent Middle High German torkeln; intensive of Middle High German turc (k), masculine, ‘reeling, downfall.’ Early history obscure.
Tornister, masculine, ‘haversack, knapsack,’ adopted in the last century from Hungar. tarisznya, ‘satchel.’
Tort, masculine, ‘wrong, vexation,’ Modern High German only; the Low German form for High German Troß.
Torte, feminine, ‘tart,’ early Modern High German only, from French tarte.
tosen, verb, ‘to rage, storm,’ from the equivalent Middle High German dôsen, Old High German dôsôn. Based on a Teutonic root þus (by gradation þaus), from which Old Icelandic þyss, þausn, ‘tumult,’ is also derived.
tot, adjective, ‘dead,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German tôt (Old High German also tôd); corresponding to the equivalent Gothic dauþs, Anglo-Saxon deád, English dead, Dutch dood, Old Saxon dôd. Teutonic dau-do- (dauþo-), contained in these words, is properly a participle (compare falt, laut, traut) of the Teutonic strong verbal root dā̆u, ‘to die,’ mentioned under Tod. — Derivative töten, factitive verb, ‘to put to death,’ from the equivalent Middle High German taten (tœden), Old High German tôten (tôden). Compare Gothic dauþjan.
traben, verb, ‘to trot, jog,’ from Middle High German draben (draven), weak verb, ‘to walk or ride at an even, rapid pace’; corresponding to Dutch draven. —
Trabant, masculine, ‘gentleman-at-arms, life-guardsman,’ is a derivative of traben, with a Romance participle suffix, Compare Lappalien.
Tracht, feminine, ‘dress, costume, load,’ from Middle High German (Old High German) traht, feminine, ‘carrying, load’; verbal abstract of tragen. —
trächtig, adjective, ‘pregnant,’ is connected with the subsidiary meaning of traht, ‘pregnancy.’
trachten, verb, ‘to aim (at), aspire (to),’ from Middle High German trahten, Old High German trahtôn, weak verb, ‘to think, esteem, consider, strive, invent, excogitate’; corresponding to Dutch trachten, Anglo-Saxon trahtian. Based on Latin tractare, ‘to treat, reflect on,’ whence Italian trattare, French traiter, ‘to treat.’ The genuine Teutonic origin of Old High German trahtôn is undoubted, hence it has been thought to be primitively allied to Greek δέρκομαι, Sanscrit dṛç, ‘to see.’
träge, adjective, ‘indolent, lazy,’ from Middle High German trœge, adjective (trâgo, adverb), Old High German trâgi, adjective (trâgo; adverb), ‘slow, loth, wearied, lazy’; corresponding to Dutch traag, Anglo-Saxon trâg, ‘reluctant, difficult.’ The assumed primitively Teutonic *trêgu-z, ‘reluctant, loth,’ belongs to an Old Teutonic root trē̆g, ‘to be sad, disheartened,’ which appears in Gothic trîgo, ‘sadness,’ Old Icelandic tregr, ‘reluctant, slow’ (trege, ‘pain’), Anglo-Saxon trëga, ‘pain,’ Old Saxon trâgi, ‘vexation’ (allied to trëgan, strong verb, ‘to be sorry’). Old Swedish trögher (Modern Swedish trög), ‘lazy,’ has a graded form, ô, of the root vowel ē̆. Sanscrit drâgh, ‘to torment,’ has also been ​supposed to contain the Aryan root drē̆gh. The following word is not allied.
tragen, verb, ‘to bear, carry, support, endure,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tragen, Old High German tragan, strong verb, ‘to bear, hold, bring, lead’; corresponding to Old Saxon dragan, Dutch dragen, Gothic dragan, strong verb, ‘to bear.’ Whether Old Icelandic draga, Anglo-Saxon dragan, equivalent to English to draw, are entirely different from these cognates is open to doubt. The Teutonic root drag, ‘to bear’ (from Aryan dhragh), has been compared with Old Slovenian drŭžati, ‘to hold’
trampeln, verb, from the equivalent Middle High German trampeln, weak verb, ‘to trample’; a Middle German and Low German intensive form from Gothic trimpan, ‘to tread,’ to which a genuine High German form, Middle High German trumpfen, ‘to run,’ is allied; compare English to tramp, trample. The forms Modern High German trappen, ‘to tread noisily,’ Dutch trappen, ‘to tread,’ English (dialectic) to trape, without a nasal, also occur. Compare also Treppe.
Trampeltier, neuter, a corruption of the equivalent Dromedar, ‘dromedary.’
Trank, masculine, ‘drink, beverage,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tranc (k), masculine and neuter; an abstract from trinken. — To this Tränke, feminine, ‘watering-place’ (for animals), from the equivalent Middle High German tręnke, Old High German tręncha, feminine, is allied.
Trappe, masculine and feminine, ‘bustard,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trap, trappe, masculine; compare the equivalent Dutch trapgans. The early history of the word is entirely obscure.
Traß, masculine, Modern High German only. Derived, like the equivalent Dutch tras (tiras, tieras) and English tarrace (tarras), from Italian terrazzo.
Tratte, feminine, ‘draft, bill of exchange,’ Modern High German only, from Italian tratta.
Traube, feminine, ‘grape, bunch of grapes,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trûbe, masculine and feminine, Old High German trûba (drûba), feminine, trûbo (druppo?), masculine; corresponding to Dutch druif. It is uncertain whether we have to assume Gothic *þrûba, ‘grape’ (Old Icelandic þrúga, ‘grape, winepress,’ is a derivative of Old Icelandic þrúga; see drücken).
trauen, verb, ‘to trust, confide; marry,’ from Middle High German trûwen, weak verb, ‘to hope, believe, trust’ (also ‘to betroth, unite in marriage’), Old High German trûên (trûwên), ‘to believe, trust.’ Compare Gothic trauan, weak verb, ‘to trust, confide,’ Old Saxon trûôn, Dutch vertrouwen, ‘to trust, confide’ (but trouwen, ‘to marry’). A derivative of the Teutonic root trū̆, treu, ‘to have confidence,’ mentioned under traut and treu.
Trauer, feminine, ‘mourning, sorrow, grief,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trûre, feminine; a derivative of Middle High German trûren, Old High German trûrên (equivalent to Modern High German trauern, ‘to mourn, grieve’), weak verb. Allied to Modern High German traurig, ‘mournful, sad,’ Middle High German trûrec, Old High German *trûrac (g); to this adjective Anglo-Saxon dreórig, English dreary, is related by gradation (compare Dutch treurtg, ‘sad.’ Borrowed from High German?). On account of Old High German trûrên, ‘to lower one's eyes,’ the cognates are based on the Old Teutonic root drus, ‘to fall, sink’ (compare Gothic driusan, Anglo-Saxon dreósan, ‘to fall’).
Traufe, feminine, ‘dripping of water, eaves, gutter,’ from the equivalent Middle High German troufe, feminine, Middle High German and Old High German trouf, masculine. A graded form from triefen, ‘to drop, trickle’; so too Modern High German träufeln, träufen, ‘to drip, trickle,’ from Middle High German tröufen, Middle High German and Old High German troufen, literally ‘to cause to drop.’
Traum, masculine, ‘dream, vision,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German troum, masculine; corresponding to the equivalent Old Saxon drôm, Dutch droom, English dream (recorded about 1200 A.D.), Old Icelandic draumr. The signification ‘dream,’ occurring in all these cognates, may be deduced from the literally meaning, ‘phantom, illusion,’ so that Teutonic draumo- (for draugmo- or draugwmó-?) would be connected with trügen. In any case, Old Saxon drôm (English dream) and Old Saxon drâm (Anglo-Saxon dreám), ‘shout of joy, noise,’ must be regarded as etymologically different words; the latter is connected with Greek θρῦλος, ‘noise.’ — Derivative träumen, verb, ‘to dream,’ from Middle High German tröumen, Middle High German and Old High German troumen.
traun, interjection, ‘truly! in faith! forsooth!’ from the equivalent Middle High German (Middle German) trûn, trûwen, for Middle High German triuwen, entriuwen, ‘in truth,’ allied to Treue.
traut, adjective, ‘beloved, dear,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German trût; allied Middle High German trût, masculine and neuter, ‘sweetheart, spouse.’ Since there is no corresponding word in the Teutonic dialects with a Gothic form of the dental, it cannot be decided whether traut must be connected with trauen; in any case, the form and meaning admit of our regarding it as the old to participle (compare laut, falt, zart) of the root trū̆, treu, seen in trauen and treu, so that its literally meaning is ‘one in whom confidence or trust is reposed.’ The borrowed Romance words beginning with d (compare Italian drudo, masculine, ‘lover,’ druda, feminine, ‘mistress,’ drudo, ‘gallant, brave,’ French dru) presuppose a Gothic ​*drûda-, which could not be from the same root as Gothic trauan, ‘to trust.’ The connection with Gaelic drúth, ‘wanton, pert,’ Welsh drud, ‘bold,’ is obscure; it may be primitively allied (Aryan root dhrū̆).
Treber, plural, ‘husks, grains,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tręber, Old High German trębir, plural; the corresponding singular would be trab. Compare Icelandic draf, Dutch draf, ‘sediment of a brewing’ (to which drabbe, ‘lees,’ is allied), Anglo-Saxon drœf, English draff, ‘lees, refuse, dregs’ (late Anglo-Saxon drabbe, ‘lees, dregs, dirt,’ whence English drab, applied to colour and a woman). If the medial ƀ of the Teutonic base draboz, neuter, could have originated in a guttural, the word might be compared with Old Icelandic dregg (equivalent to English dregs), and hence be probably allied to Latin frăces, ‘grounds, dregs of oil’; Aryan root dhraq?. It seems to be also connected more remotely with Trester, ‘husks, skins (of grapes).’
trecken, verb, ‘to drag, haul,’ from the Middle High German trëchen, ‘to drag,’ or rather from the intensive form trecken; allied to Dutch and Middle Low German trekken.
Treff, neuter, ‘club’ (at cards), properly Treffle (18th century), from French trèfle, ‘clover, trefoil’ (Latin trifolium).
treffen, verb, ‘to hit, strike; guess; occur, happen,’ from Middle High German trëffen, Old High German trëffan, strong verb, ‘to hit, reach, fight’; compare Anglo-Saxon drëpan, Old Icelandic drepa, ‘to hit, push, strike.’ As to the Teutonic root drep (pre-Teutonic dhreb) contained in these cognates, nothing positive can be asserted. Compare Eintracht.
Treffen, neuter, ‘encounter, engagement’; even in Middle High German trëffen, neuter; an infinitive used as a substantive, from Middle High German trëffen, ‘to fight.’ See triftig.
treiben, verb, ‘to drive, impel,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trîben, Old High German trîban, strong verb; corresponding to Old Saxon drîƀan, ‘to drive, drive away, exercise,’ Dutch drijven, ‘to drive, carry on (a business), fly, swim,’ English to drive (Anglo-Saxon drîfan), Old Icelandic drífa, ‘to hasten,’ Gothic dreiban, ‘to drive.’ The Teutonic strong verbal root drī̆b (from Aryan dhrī̆bh ?, dhrī̆p?), ‘to move quickly, drive,’ has not yet been found in the other Aryan languages. See Trift.
treideln, verb, ‘to tow a boat,’ Modern High German only; a Low German loan-word; compare the equivalent Dutch treilen (Anglo-Saxon trœglian, English to trail). On account of French trailler, ‘to pull,’ which is probably a corresponding term, treideln has been supposed to be connected with Latin trahere. There is no need, however, to ascribe the cognates to a non-Teutonic origin.
trendeln, trenteln, verb, ‘to dawdle, loiter,’ literally ‘to turn, move this way and that,’ from late Middle High German tręndeln, ‘to turn,’ allied to Middle High German tręndel, ‘ball, top,’ which, like Anglo-Saxon tręndel, ‘sphere’ (English trendle), and Dutch omtrent, ‘towards, on, about’ (Danish and Swedish trind, ‘round’), are connected with a root trend, ‘to move in a circle.’
trennen, verb, ‘to separate, sever,’ from Middle High German and Old High German tręnnen (older *trannjan), weak verb, ‘to split, separate, cleave,’ literally ‘to partition off’; factitive of Middle High German trinnen, ‘to run away, separate’ (compare abtrünnig). This verbal stem is unknown to the other Teutonic languages, and hence its primitively Teutonic and pre-Teutonic form and meaning cannot be ascertained.
Trense, feminine, ‘snaffle,’ Modern High German only, a Low German word; compare Dutch trens. The early history of the word is obscure; it is doubtful whether it has been borrowed from Spanish trenza, ‘plait, braid (of hair).’
Treppe, feminine, ‘stairs, staircase,’ from Middle High German (Middle German) tręppe, trappe, masculine and feminine, ‘stairs, step’; corresponding to Dutch trap. This word (for which Stiege occurs in Upper German) belongs to the cognates of trappen (see under trampeln), which are likewise of Middle German and Low German origin; the High German form (of the 16th and 17th centuries) is properly Trepfe.
Trespe, feminine, ‘brome-grass,’ a Saxon and Silesian word, from Middle High German (Middle German) trësp, ‘darnel,’ with the genuine High German variants trëfs, trëfse, masculine. Modern German dialects (e.g., Thuringian) have Treff (Swabian trefz), so that an originally term trëf is probable. Allied to Dutch dravik, Middle English drauk (Anglo-Saxon *drafoc); non-Teutonic cognates are wanting.
Tresse, feminine, ‘lace, braid (of hair),’ Modern High German only, from French tresse.
Trester, plural, ‘husks, grape-skins,’ from Middle High German tręster, Old High German trestir, plural, ‘grains, residue.’ The similarity in meaning to Treber, ‘grains,’ points to a primitive kinship of Old High German trębir and tręstir (compare also Anglo-Saxon dœrstan, ‘lees’), so that tręstir would represent *trefstir or *tręhstir. Prussian drag(illegible text)os, Old Slovenian drożdiję and droštija, ‘lees,’ which are primitively allied to these words, are also similarly related.
treten, verb, ‘to tread, proceed, step,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trëten, Old High German trëtan; a common Teutonic strong verb; corresponding to Old Saxon and Anglo-Saxon trëdan, English to tread, Dutch treden, Gothic trudan. Compare ​also Tritt, Trott, and Trotte. In the non-Teutonic languages no Aryan root dre-t is found, though Greek δρόμος, ‘course,’ Sanscrit root dram, ‘to run’ (Anglo-Saxon tręm, ‘step’), and the root of the cognates of trampeln seem to be originally connected with it.
treu, adjective, ‘true, faithful,’ from late Middle High German triuwe, for which classical Middle High German has getriuwe (hence Modern High German getreu), Old High German gitriuwi, ‘true, faithful, trusty, loyal.’ Properly a derivative of Old High German triuwa, Middle High German triuwe (Modern High German Treue), feminine; getreu, literally ‘possessing loyalty.’ in Old Saxon triuwi, Dutch trouw, Anglo-Saxon treówe, trŷwe (English true, truth, to trow, and to trust), Gothic triggws, ‘true.’ Teutonic treuwo- (treuwi-?), for pre-Teutonic dréwo-, is related to the assumed (see trauen) Aryan root drū̆, ‘to have confidence,’ with which Prussian druwis, ‘belief,’ is connected. Old High German triuwa, feminine, ‘fidelity,’ corresponds to Old Saxon treuwa, Anglo-Saxon treów, ‘fidelity,’ Gothic triggwa, ‘agreement, compact’; with the last signification, Italian tregua, French trève, ‘armistice,’ borrowed from Teutonic, are connected.
Trichter (in Upper German and Low German dialects Trachter), masculine, ‘funnel,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trihter, with older variants tręhter, drahter, Old High German trahtâri, masculine; corresponding to Dutch trechter, OAS. tructer (Swedish tratt?). Based on Middle Latin tractârius, ‘funnel,’ corrupted from the equivalent Latin trâjectôrium (Latin trajicere, traicere), ‘to pour from one vessel into another.’ For the contraction compare Utrecht, Mastricht, from Latin Ultrajectum, Mosae-Trajectum. The word was borrowed in German coincident with the introduction of Italian wine-culture (compare Kelter, Spund, and Wein). As in the case of Kelter, the Romance languages retain few traces of the Latin word; compare Rhæto-Romance trachuoir, Walloon and Vosges trętœ (the more widely diffused Romance word for ‘funnel’ is Latin infundibulum, equivalent to French fondèfle, yet Albanian taftâr, ‘funnel,’ is also based on Latin *tractârius for trajectorium).
Trieb, masculine, ‘sprout; instinct, impulse,’ Modern High German only; allied to treiben. Compare Trift.
triefen, verb, ‘to drop, drip, trickle,’ from Middle High German triefen, Old High German triofan, strong verb, ‘to drop’; corresponding to Old Saxon driopan, Dutch druipen, Anglo-Saxon dreópan, ‘to drop.’ To this are allied the cognates of Traufe, träufeln, and Tropfen. With the Teutonic root drū̆p (from pre-Teutonic dhrū̆b), Old Irish drucht (base druptu-), ‘dew, dewdrop,’ is also probably connected.
triegen, see trügen.
Trift, feminine, ‘right of pasturage, common,’ from Middle High German trift, feminine, ‘pasture,’ literally ‘place to which something is driven’; not recorded in Old High German Trift (as in the case of Acker) is a relic of the speech of primitively nomad life. Middle High German trift also signifies (as a derivative of the root of treiben) ‘herd, drove, floating (of wood), actions, mode of life’; compare English drift and drove.
triftig, adjective ‘drifting; convincing, sound, valid,’ from late Middle High German (rare) triftec (g), ‘striking, pertinent, suitable’; a derivative of treffen.
trillern, verb, ‘to trill, warble,’ Modern High German only, from the equivalent Italian trillare.
trinken, verb, ‘to drink,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trinken, Old High German trinchan; a common Teutonic strong verb; compare Gothic drigkan, Anglo-Saxon drincan, English to drink, Dutch drinken, Old Saxon drinkan. From Old Teutonic are derived the Romance cognates, Italian trincare, French trinquer, ‘to touch glasses.’ The strong verbal root drink (Aryan dhreng) is not found in non-Teutonic; on the other hand, the Aryan root pô, ‘to drink’ (compare Sanscrit pâ, Greek πω-, Latin pô-tus, &c.), is wanting in Teutonic — Compare Trank, Trunk.
trippeln, verb, ‘to trip, mince,’ Modern High German only; corresponding to Dutch dribbelen. A recent intensive form from treiben or traben.
Tripper, masculine, ‘gonorrhea,’ a Middle German and Low German word for which older Modern High German Trüpfer, masculine (allied to Tropfen), occurs. Compare English dripper, allied to drip.
Tritt, masculine, ‘step, tread,’ from Middle High German trit, masculine. Allied to treten.
trocken, adjective ‘dry, barren,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trocken, trucken (truchen), Old High German trochan (trucchan); compare Old Saxon drucno, drocno, ‘dry.’ Corresponding to the equivalent Low German dreuge, Dutch droog (compare Droge, to which Dutch droogte, ‘dryness,’ is allied), Anglo-Saxon drŷge, English dry (allied to drought), which are derived from cognate roots. With the Teutonic root drū̆k, drū̆g, draug, ‘to be dry,’ is also connected Old Icelandic draugr, ‘dry wood.’ A pre-Teutonic root dkrū̆ḳ (dhrū̆g) has not yet been found in the other Aryan languages.
Troddel, feminine, ‘tassel, bob,’ diminutive of Middle High German trâde, Old High German tráda, feminine (trâdo, masculine), ‘fringe’; Middle High German trôdel (dialectic for trâdel) signifies ‘fibre in wood,’ Since the other ​Teutonic dialects have no word corresponding to Old High German trâdo, ‘fringe,’ nothing definite can be ascertained concerning its early history.
trödeln, verb, ‘to deal in second-hand goods, dawdle, loiter,’ from Middle High German *tretelen, which, with the nasalised form trendeln, is derived from the same root. Compare Middle High German tredel-, trendelmarket, equivalent to Modern High German Trödelmarkt, ‘rag-fair.’
Trog, masculine, ‘trough,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German troc (g), masculine; compare Dutch trog, Anglo-Saxon trog, English trough, Old Icelandic trog. The assumed Teutonic trogo-, from which the cognate Italian truogo, ‘trough,’ is borrowed, is based on pre-Teutonic dru-kó-, which is rightly connected with the Aryan stem dru (dreu, deru), ‘tree, wood,’ discussed under Teer; compare Sanscrit dru, dâru, ‘wood.’ Hence Trog is literally ‘wooden article.’
trollen, verb, ‘to roll about, loll, trip,’ from Middle High German trollen, ‘to run with short steps’; perhaps allied to Middle High German trolle, ‘booby, uncouth person’ (literally ‘ghost-like monster’). French trôler, ‘to stroll about,’ is a German loan-word.
Trommel, feminine, ‘drum, cylinder, sieve,’ from the equivalent late Middle High German trumel, trumbel, feminine, of which the classical Middle High German form is trumbe (trumme, trume), ‘drum, trumpet’; compare Old High German trumpa, trumba, ‘trumpet.’ The Romance languages have a corresponding word, Italian tromba, French trompe. Since these have no Latin form, Old High German trumba may be regarded as their source. Old High German trumba seems to be identical with Old Icelandic trumba, ‘pipe, stalk, trumpet,’ in which case the latter is probably nearer the primary meaning.— Modern High German Trompete, ‘trumpet’ (even in Middle High German trúmet, trúmbet), is based on Romance; compare French trompette, Italian trombetta.
Tropf, masculine, ‘needy or stupid person,’ from the equivalent late Middle High German tropfe. It is considered to be a variant of Tropfen (Tropf, literally ‘least thing, nothing, wight’?).
Tropfen, masculine, ‘drop, tear,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tropfe (troffe), Old High German tropfo (troffo), masculine; corresponding to Old Saxon dropo, Dutch drop, Anglo-Saxon dropa, English drop, and the equivalent Old Icelandic drope. A derivative of the Teutonic root drup (see triefen).
Trost, masculine, ‘comfort, consolation,’ from Middle High German and Old High German trôst, masculine, ‘comfort, help, protection, assurance, confidence’; corresponding to Old Icelandic traust, masculine, ‘assurance,’ Gothic traust (genitive traustis for -eis), ‘treaty, alliance.’ The word is a derivative of the Teutonic root traus, a variant of the root trū̆ appearing in trauen. Compare Old Icelandic traustr, adjective, ‘certain, strong, firm,’ literally ‘that in which one has confidence.’ —
trösten, verb, ‘to comfort, console,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trœsten, Old High German trôsten (*traustjan).
Troß, masculine, ‘baggage, baggage-train, cavalcade,’ from late Middle High German trosse, feminine, ‘luggage,’ formed from French trousse, ‘truss, bundle.’
Trott, masculine, ‘trot,’ Modern High German only, from the equivalent Italian trotto (French trot). This Romance word is apparently based on Old High German trottôn, ‘to tread’ (late Middle High German trotten, ‘to run’), an intensive form of treten. English to trot has been adopted from the borrowed French term trotter. Compare the following word.
Trotte, feminine, ‘wine-press,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trotte (trote), Old High German trotta (trota), feminine; literally perhaps ‘place where the wine is pressed out by treading.’ A derivative of the Teutonic root tred (trod), which has been discussed under treten (see also the preceding word). For a term adopted with the Southern culture of the vine, see under Kelter (compare also Torkel).
Trotz, masculine, ‘boldness, obstinacy, defiance,’ from Middle High German (Middle German) trotz, of which the more usual forms are Middle High German tratz, trutz, masculine, ‘refractoriness’; allied to Middle High German tratzen, tretzen, ‘to defy,’ tratz, ‘insolent, defiant, obstinate.’ The word is unknown to Old High German and the other Old Teutonic dialects, but there is no reason to suppose that it has been borrowed. —
trotz, preposition, ‘in spite of,’ is based on the Middle High German interjection tratz (trotz), ‘I defy you.’
trübe, adjective, ‘turbid, gloomy, dull, dim,’ from Middle High German truëbe, adjective (truobe, adverb), Old High German truobi, adjective, ‘obscure, gloomy, dull’; allied to trüben, ‘to darken, tarnish, cast a gloom over,’ Middle High German truëben, Old High German truoben, ‘to darken, sadden.’ Compare Anglo-Saxon drôf, ‘dirty, troubled,’ Dutch droef, ‘dull, sad,’ Gothic drôbjan, ‘to confuse, lead astray, excite commotion,’ Anglo-Saxon drêfan, ‘to disturb, agitate, trouble.’ In the non-Teutonic languages there are no certain cognates of the Teutonic root dr(illegible text)b, ‘to confuse.’ —
Trübsal, neuter, ‘affliction, distress,’ from Middle High German trüebesal, Old High German truobisal; an abstract of trüben.
Trubel, masculine, ‘confusion, trouble,’ Modern High German only, from French trouble.
Truchseß, masculine, ‘lord high-steward,’ from the equivalent Middle High German truh-, truht-sœȥe (-sœtze), Old High German truhsûȥȥo (zz). The Middle Latin rendering, ‘dapifer, discophorus,’ shows that the ​word signified ‘he who serves the food.’ Yet Middle High German and Old High German truht is not used in the sense of ‘food’; it signifies ‘that which can be carried’ (a derivative of tragen), and might thus mean also ‘the food, served up.’ On account of Middle High German and Old High German truht, ‘crowd, troop,’ others with greater reason regard Middle High German truhsœȥe as ‘he who sits with the retainers (or at the head of the table), provides for their maintenance (hence dapifer) and assigns to them their places at table.’ The word is also found in Low German dialects; compare Low German Drostei, ‘district of a Droste’ (high bailiff; Middle Dutch drossâte); Dutch drossaard, ‘high bailiff.’
Trüffel, feminine, ‘truffle,’ Modern High German only; corresponding to Dutch truffel, English truffle, French truffe, Spanish trufa. The equivalent Italian tartufo shows that the word is connected with Kartoffel, which see.
Trug, masculine, ‘deception, illusion,’ Modern High German only, allied to trügen, older triegen, which is derived from the equivalent Middle High German triegen, Old High German triogan, strong verb, corresponding to Old Saxon bidriogan, ‘to cheat, deceive.’ To these are allied Teutonic draumo-, ‘phantom’ (see Traum), as well as Old Icelandic draugr, ‘ghost,’ Old Saxon gidrog, Middle High German getroc (g), ‘ghost’ (compare also Zwerg). The Teutonic root drū̆g (dwerg), ‘to deceive,’ contained in these words, is based on an Aryan root dhrū̆gh (dhwergh), ‘to overreach, injure’; compare Sanscrit druh, ‘to injure (by deceit, craftiness, or enchantment),’ Old Persian drauga, ‘lie,’ Zend draoga, ‘lying’ (druj, ‘ghost’).
Truhe, feminine, ‘trunk, chest,’ from Middle High German truhe (*trucke is indicated by dialectic Trucke), Old High German truha (truccha), feminine, ‘chest, cupboard,’ Old Icelandic þró (from þrū̆h), and Anglo-Saxon þrûk, ‘chest, drawer,’ seem to be allied in meaning although the sounds do not entirely correspond. In any case Latin truncus, ‘trunk’ (of a tree) is not allied. If Anglo-Saxon þrûh is not identical with High German Truhe (Middle Latin trucca), the latter may be connected with Trog; Truhe (literally ‘wooden vessel’) would then be Aryan drū̆k- (drukn-).
Trumm, masculine, ‘end, stomp, fragment,’ which is found besides only in the plural Trümmer, ‘fragments, ruins,’ is based on Middle High German and Old High German drum, neuter, ‘end, piece, end-piece, splinter’; compare Old Icelandic þrǫmr, ‘brim, edge, verge,’ English (Anglo-Saxon) thrum, ‘end-piece.’ Teutonic þramu- (þrumu-), from Aryan trmo-, has rightly been connected with Latin terminus, Greek τέρμα, ‘boundary, conclusion, end.’
Trumpf, masculine, ‘trump,’ Modern High German only, from the equivalent French triomphe (Italian trionfo), whence also Dutch troef, English trump; properly identical therefore with Latin triumphus; hence literally ‘triumphant, victorious card.’ Compare Treff.
Trunk, masculine, ‘drink, draught,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German trunc, allied to trinken.
trunken, adjective, ‘drunken, intoxicated,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trunken, Old High German trunchan. An old participle without the prefix ge (see feist), and with an active sense too, ‘he who has drunk’ (compare Latin potus), then ‘he who has drunk immoderately’; similarly Dutch dronken, English drunk, and Gothic drugkans.
Trupp, masculine, ‘troop, band, gang,’ Modern High German only, from Italian truppa.
Truthahn, masculine, ‘turkey-cock,’ Modern High German only; Trut is probably an imitation of the cry of the bird.
Tuch, neuter, ‘cloth, stuff; kerchief,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tuoch, Old High German tuoh (hh), masculine and neuter; compare Old Low German dôk, Dutch doek, ‘cloth.’ To these is also allied Old Icelandic dúkr, ‘cloth,’ whence English duck (canvas). On account of the Old Icelandic signification ‘table-cloth,’ Tuch has been compared with Gothic gadauka, ‘messmate.’ The early history of the West Teutonic dôko-, ‘cloth’ (from pre-Teutonic dhâgo-), is obscure.
tüchtig, adjective, ‘fit, able, qualified, excellent,’ from Middle High German (Middle German) tühtic (g), ‘serviceable, brave, sturdy’; allied to Middle High German (Middle German) tuht, feminine, ‘ability, fitness,’ an abstract of Modern High German taugen (compare also Tugend). Corresponding to Dutch deugdelijk, Anglo-Saxon dyhtig, English doughty.
Tücke, feminine, ‘trick, spite, malice,’ from Middle High German tücke; properly plural of older Modern High German Tuck, Middle High German tuc(k), duc (ck), masculine, ‘blow, push, rapid movement, sly trick, sleight of hand, craftiness.’ The word is wanting in Old High German and the other Old Teutonic languages, hence its earlier form cannot be discovered.
Tuff, Tuffstein, masculine, ‘tufa, tuff,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German tufstein (tub-, tupf-stein); formed from Italian tufo (French tuf), based on Latin tôphus.
Tugend, feminine, ‘virtue, chastity,’ from Middle High German tugent, tugende, feminine, ‘manly excellence, power, good quality, virtue’; Old High German tugund, feminine, as a derivative of tugan (see taugen), signifies literally ‘serviceableness, fitness.’ Gothic *dugunþus (derivative unþu-, from ​pre-Teutonic entu-) is also indicated by Anglo-Saxon duguþ.
Tülle, feminine, ‘socket,’ Middle High German tülle, neuter, ‘ferule for fastening an iron point on a handle’ (usually ‘partition of boards, palisade’). Old High German has no corresponding form *tulli (Gothic *dulja-), which might be connected by gradation with Modern High German Thal (Tülle, literally ‘deepening’). Others consider French douille (from Latin ductile, ‘channel’), ‘socket,’ as the ultimate source of Middle High German tülle. French tuyau (English tewel), Spanish tudel, ‘pipe,’ are certainly not allied. The abnormal double sense of Middle High German tülle has not, however, been explained.
Tulpe, feminine, ‘tulip,’ earlier Modern High German Tulipan, from the equivalent Italian tulipa, tulipano.
-tum, suffix, from Middle High German and Old High German -tuom; an abstract suffix, which has been formed in compounds from an independent word tuom, masculine and neuter, ‘relation, rank, dignity, condition.’ This is an abstract form of Modern High German thun. Compare the corresponding English suffix -dom in kingdom. English has preserved the independent word doom (Anglo-Saxon dôm), to which to deem (Anglo-Saxon dêman) is allied; compare Sanscrit dhâman, ‘institution, sacred custom.’
Tümpel, masculine, ‘pool, deep part of a lake’; a Middle German form for Middle High German tümpfel, ‘deep place in flowing or standing water, pool, puddle,’ Old High German tumfilo, masculine, ‘whirlpool’ (whence the equivalent Italian tonfano). A derivative of the nasalized root dup, ‘to be deep’ (see taufen, tief), which appears also in English dimple, Dutch dompelen, ‘to dive, plunge,’ dompelaar, ‘diver’ (bird). Pre-Teutonic dhumb, ‘to be deep,’ is also assumed by Lithuanian dumbu, ‘to get hollow.’ Compare also Topf.
tünchen, verb, ‘to whitewash, plaster,’ from the equivalent Middle High German tünchen, Old High German tunihhôn, mostly mit chalche tunihhôn. The additional expression in Old High German leads to the assumption that tunihhôn means literally ‘to clothe,’ from Old High German tunihha, ‘dress’ (borrowed, like Anglo-Saxon tunuce, from Latin tunica). The Germans still say eine Wand mit Tünche bekleiden, ‘to give a coat of limewash to a wall’ (compare English to coat and coat). With this agrees Italian intonicare, ‘to plaster, rouge’ (intonico, intonicato, ‘plaster’). Note that Latin tunica, Italian tonica, also signifies ‘covering.’ The Latin-Italian word was borrowed at the beginning of the Old High German period; had it been borrowed earlier it would have appeared as *zunihha in Old High German. It cannot have been introduced much later than Fenster and Turm.
tunken, verb, ‘to dip, steep, soak,’ from Middle High German tunken, dunken, Old High German tunchôn, dunchôn, weak verb, ‘to immerse.’ The Old High German variant thunkôn leads to a Gothic *þugkôn, which must be allied to Latin tingere, ‘to moisten, dip,’ and to Greek τέγγω, ‘to soften, moisten.’ Hence tunken cannot be connected with tauchen.
Tüpfel, masculine, ‘dot, iota’; diminutive of earlier Modern High German Tupf, masculine, which is based on topfe, Old High German topfo, ‘point.’ Gothic *duppa (*duppila) is wanting. Probably cognate with tief.
Turm (Upper German and Rhenish Turn), masculine, ‘tower, steeple,’ from the equivalent Middle High German turm, with the variant turn (torm, torn), masculine; in Old High German only turra and turri, which correspond to the equivalent Latin turris. The final m of the Middle High German word has not yet been explained, nor the n of Old Dutch turn, Dutch toren, Upper German turn; Anglo-Saxon tûr, English tower, with the variant Anglo-Saxon torr, ‘tower,’ also present a difficulty. Compare further French tour, Italian torre, from Latin turris.
turnen, verb, ‘to practise gymnastics,’ Modern High German only; no corresponding word is found in Middle High German, which has only turnei, ‘tournament,’ turnieren, ‘to hold a tournament, tilt,’ borrowed from French. The Modern High German word is probably derived from French tourner, ‘to turn, turn round.’
Turteltaube, feminine, ‘turtle-dove,’ from the equivalent Middle High German turteltûbe (türteltube), Old High German turtul-, turtil-tûba, feminine; borrowed and corrupted in the Old High German period (in connection with the Biblical texts) from Latin turtur, whence also Dutch tortelduif, Anglo-Saxon and English turtle. Compare also Italian tortora, French tourtre, tourtereau.
Tusch, masculine, ‘flourish of trumpets’; interjection, ‘hush! tush!’ ModHG only; a recent formation imitating a sound.
Tusche, feminine, ‘Indian-ink,’ Modern High German only; from French toucher, ‘to paint, delineate, ink.’
tuten, verb, ‘to blow a horn,’ Modern High German only; a recent onomatopoetic word.
Tüttel, masculine, ‘dot,’ Modern High German only; entirely distinct from Titel. It is identical with Middle High German tüttel (tütelîn), neuter, ‘nipple, teat’: diminutive of the equivalent Old High German tutta, Middle High German tutte.
Twing, masculine, see zwingen.