An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Schnur

by Friedrich Kluge

Schnur (1.), feminine, ‘string, cord, line,’ from Middle High German and Old High German snuor, feminine, ‘string, bond, rope’; compare Gothic snôrjô, feminine, ‘basket, basket-work,’ Old Icelandic snœre, ‘twisted cord,’ Dutch snoer, ‘string’; allied to the Aryan root snô, snē̆, ‘to plait’ (compare nähen), with which Anglo-Saxon snô-d, ‘fillet,’ as well as Old Irish snáth, ‘thread,’ is connected.

Schnur (2.), feminine (mostly obsolete in the dialects e.g., Swiss and Bavarian), ‘daughter-in-law,’ from the equivalent Middle High German snur (snuor), Old High German snura (snora), feminine; with this is connected the equivalent derivative Middle High German snürche (Old High German *snurihha). Corresponding to Middle Low German snore, Anglo-Saxon snoru, Middle English snore (obsolete in English), Old Frisian snore, Old Icelandic snor, snør, ‘daughter-in-law’ (Gothic *snuzô, feminine, is by chance not recorded). A common Aryan term for ‘daughter-in-law’ (compare also other terms common to Aryan for degrees of relationship, such as Sohn, Tochter, &c.), in the Aryan form snusã (Sanscrit snušã, Old Slovenian snŭcha), and Aryan snusū̆s, in Latin nurus (for snusus), Greek νυός (for *σνυσύς). Aryan snusã, wife,’ has been regarded as a derivative of Aryan sū̆nū̆-, ‘son,’ on account of Söhnerin, the Suabian term for Schnur.