An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Köder
Köder, masculine, ‘bait.’ The word, on account of its very varied forms and senses, is difficult to explain etymologically, perhaps several words, originally different, have been combined with it; Middle High German köder, koder, këder, korder, körder, kërder, quërder, masculine, ‘lure, bait, patch of cloth or leather,’ Old High German quërdar also means ‘wick of a lamp’; in Modern High German it signifies, in the various dialects and at different periods, ‘double chin, slime, rag, leather strap, bait.’ With Köder, ‘double chin,’ we may perhaps compare English cud, Anglo-Saxon cudu, cweodu (Gothic qiþus, ‘belly’?). With the meaning ‘bait,’ Gothic qairrus and High German kirre may be most closely connected, because quërdar, as the oldest High German form, points to a Gothic *qaírþra-; with this the Greek compound δέλεαρ (δελ- for δερ- may be due to a process of differentiation, since a German form kerdel occurs; and ð, according to Æolic βλῆρ, is perhaps an old guttural, root ger) may be certainly associated, and its variant δέλετρον, which more early corresponds with the German word; the latter form is usually approved, since it combines the meanings of ‘bait’ and ‘torch’ (corresponding to Old High German quërdar, ‘wick’); in either case English cud is abnormal. For the other meanings of the German word no satisfactory etymologies can be found.