An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Karbe

by Friedrich Kluge

Karbe, Karve, feminine, ‘caraway,’ from the equivalent Middle High German karwe and karne, feminine; allied to French and Italian carvi, ‘caraway.’ The usual assumption that this word as well as English caraway is based on Latin careum (Greek κάρον), ‘caraway,’ is not quite satisfactory, hence the influence of Arabic al-karavîa is assumed.