An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Kluft

by Friedrich Kluge

Kluft, feminine, ‘chasm,’ from Middle High German kluft, feminine, ‘cleft, chasm, cave, vault, tongs,’ Old High German chluft, feminine, ‘tongs, shears,’ properly ‘splitting’ (as a verbal abstract of the Old Teutonic kliuban, ‘to split,’ discussed under klieben). The tongs, as an instrument with a slit, is called dialectic Kluft; compare Kluppe. The Middle High German meaning ‘vault’ (crypta) seems to be due to a confusion of Kluft with the foreign word crypta (see Gruft). Gothic *klufti-, feminine; Anglo-Saxon *clyft, English cleft, clift, Dutch kluft, feminine, ‘cleft, notch, chasm.’