An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Deichsel

by Friedrich Kluge

Deichsel (1.), feminine ‘pole, thill, shaft,’ from the equivalent Middle High German dîhsel, Old High German dîhsala, feminine; compare Old Icelandic þísl, Anglo-Saxon þîxl, þîsl, Dutch dissel, Old Low German thîsla, feminine. It has no connection with English thill, which is related rather to Modern High German Diele. A word peculiar to the Teutonic dialects, and of obscure origin; perhaps Latin témo, ‘pole, shaft,’ is primitively allied (if it represents teixmo; compare âla from *axla, under Achsel). The Aryans had learnt the way to build waggons in their Asiatic home ere the separated into different tribes: this is proved by the words Joch, Nabe, Rad, Wagen.

Deichsel (2.), feminine, ‘adze’; compare Middle High German dëhsel, Old High German dëhsala, ‘axe, hatchet’; from a Teutonic root þehs, equivalent to Aryan teks. Compare Old Slovenian tesati, ‘to hew,’ Lithuanian taszýti, ‘to hew, fashion with an axe,’ Sanscrit takšan, ‘carpenter’ (see under Dachs). The ei of the Modern High German word is based upon a variant þîhs, which is Middle German and Low German; numerous High German dialects preserve the old e.