An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Lefze

by Friedrich Kluge

Lefze, feminine, ‘lip,’ from the equivalent Middle High German lëfs, lëfse, feminine and masculine, Old High German lëfs, masculine, an Upper German term (in Suabian lengthened to läfzg) for the properly Low German Lippe. Both terms are primitively allied; Lippe may come from Teutonic *lipjô, feminine, and Lefze (with the Old High German variant lëffur, Old Saxon lëpur), from primitively Teutonic lepas, genitive lepazis, or lefs, genitive lefsis (with fs for ps); compare Gothic ahs, genitive ahsis, ‘ear (of corn ),’ with Old High German ahir, Anglo-Saxon eár (from *eahor), English ear. For the further cognates compare under Lippe. Gothic and Scandinavian have a totally different term for ‘lip’; Gothic waírilô (Anglo-Saxon wëler), Old Icelandic vǫrr, feminine.