An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Kiel

by Friedrich Kluge

Kiel (1.), masculine, from the equivalent Middle High German kil, masculine and neuter, ‘quill’; not recorded in Old High German; dialectic Keil (Middle German), pointing to Middle High German kîl; Low German quiele, kiel, is connected with Middle English quille, English quill. Gothic *qilus or, *qeilus, and further cognate terms are wanting. Kiel (2.), masculine, ‘keel,’ from Middle High German kiel, Old High German chiol, masculine, ‘a rather large ship’; compare Anglo-Saxon ceól, masculine, ‘ship,’ Dutch kiel, English keel, Old Icelandic kjóll, masculine, ‘ship.’ Scandinavian kjǫlr, masculine, ‘ship’s keel,’ is not allied to these; from this the English word as well as the Modern High German meaning is probably derived (probably through Low German and Danish influence). The Old Teutonic *kiuls (the assumed Gothic form), ‘ship,’ may be connected with Greek γαυλός (γαῦλος), ‘merchant vessel’ (originally ‘pail,’ also ‘articles in the form of a pail, e.g. beehive’); au would be Gothic iu, as in High German Stier, Gothic stiurs, compared with Greek ταῦρος. The fact that a nautical term was originally common to both the Teutons and the Greeks is no more remarkable than the occurrence of the term Mast among the Teutons and the Romans; besides, the terms relating to shipbuilding stretch still further back, as is proved by the correspondence of Latin