An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Kürschner

by Friedrich Kluge

Kürschner, masculine, ‘furrier,’ from the equivalent Middle High German kursenœ̂re, masculine (sch from s, as in Arsch, birschen, and Hirsch), a derivative of Middle High German kürsen, feminine, ‘fur coat,’ Old High German chursinna, chrusina, Anglo-Saxon crûsne, ‘fur coat’; Middle Latin crusna, crusina, crusinna. Cognate terms also occur in Slavonic (Old Slovenian krŭzno, Russian korzno), in which, however, the word did not originate any more than it did in German, yet it may have been introduced into German through a Slavonic medium, perhaps from some Northern language. The primary kinship of Old High German chursina with Greek βύρσα, ‘hide, skin,’ is scarcely conceivable.