An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Stummel

by Friedrich Kluge

Stummel, masculine, ‘stump,’ from Middle High German stummel, stumbel, Old High German stumbal, masculine, ‘piece cut off, stump’; properly an adjective used as a substantive, from Old High German stumbal, Middle High German stumbel, ‘mutilated.’ This word is based (like the equivalent Old High German and Middle High German stumpf, adjective and substantive; see Stumpf) on a pre-Teutonic root sthmb, ‘to mutilate,’ which appears in Lithuanian stìmbras, ‘stump,’ stàmbras, stembrýs, and stèmbras, ‘stem, stalk,’ stàmbas, ‘trunk, stump,’ stambùs, ‘coarse.’ — To this verstümmeln, verb, ‘to mutilate,’ from the equivalent Middle High German verstümbelen, Old High German stumbilôn, is allied.