An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Reif

by Friedrich Kluge

Reif (1.), masculine, ‘encircling band, hoop, ring,’ from Middle High German and Old High German reif, masculine, ‘rope, cord, coiled rope, hoop, band, fetter, circle’; corresponding to Dutch reep, ‘hoop, rope,’ Anglo-Saxon râp, neuter, ‘strap, cord, rope,’ English rope, Old Icelandic reip, neuter, ‘rope,’ Gothic skaudaraip, ‘shoe-thong,’ Greek ῥαιβός, ‘crooked,’ is probably not allied, and is best compared with Gothic wraiqs, ‘crooked.’

Reif (2.), masculine, ‘rime, hoar-frost,’ from the equivalent Middle High German rîfe, Old High German rîfo, hrîfo, masculine; corresponding to Old Low German hrípo, Dutch rijp, ‘rime, hoar-frost’ (Gothic *hreipa). The other dialects have a similarly sounding form, which is not, however, closely allied phonetically; Old Icelandic hrím, Anglo-Saxon hrîm, neuter, English rime, Dutch rijm, with the same meaning; compare Middle High German rîmeln, ‘to cover with hoar-frost.’ Does hrîm represent Teutonic *hrîpma-, and thus belong to Reif? The comparison of Anglo-Saxon hrîm with Greek κρῦμός, ‘frost,’ is untenable.