An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Ort
Ort (1.), masculine, ‘awl,’ in this sense Modern High German only, and identical with Ort (2).
Ort (2.), masculine, ‘place, spot, region,’ from Middle High German ort, neuter and masculine, ‘sharp point end, beginning, corner, angle, border, place,’ Old High German ort, masculine and neuter, does not occur in the Modern High German sense of ‘place.’ The meaning ‘point, corner,’ is the orig one; compare Old Saxon ord, masculine, ‘point,’ Anglo-Saxon and Middle English ord. ‘point of a weapon’ (for a similar evolution of meaning compare Ecke. The r of the word originated in s, z; Gothic *uzda- is by chance not recorded; it is assumed by Old Icelandic oddr, ‘point,’ the dd of which points to Gothic zd. In Ort (1) the earlier meaning is still dimly seen. See also Ort (3).
Ort (3.), neuter and masculine, ‘quarter, quart,’ from Middle High German ort, masculine and neuter, ‘fourth part of a measure, weight, or coin’; corresponding to Dutch oord, ‘a fourth part of a coin, measure, &c.’ Identical with Ort (2). “This meaning is approximately derived from the square coins divided by a cross into pieces with four Orte, i.e., ‘corners,’ and afterwards transferred to measure and weight. Thus in Germany and Austria, when, in the year 1849, the florin notes were divided into four parts to serve as change, a single part was called Eckele or Örtel, ‘a little corner,’ and this expression was then generally used for a quarter of a florin.” The earlier assumption that this word was based on Middle Latin quarto, ‘fourth part,’ must be rejected.