An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Trichter

by Friedrich Kluge

Trichter (in Upper German and Low German dialects Trachter), masculine, ‘funnel,’ from the equivalent Middle High German trihter, with older variants tręhter, drahter, Old High German trahtâri, masculine; corresponding to Dutch trechter, OAS. tructer (Swedish tratt?). Based on Middle Latin tractârius, ‘funnel,’ corrupted from the equivalent Latin trâjectôrium (Latin trajicere, traicere), ‘to pour from one vessel into another.’ For the contraction compare Utrecht, Mastricht, from Latin Ultrajectum, Mosae-Trajectum. The word was borrowed in German coincident with the introduction of Italian wine-culture (compare Kelter, Spund, and Wein). As in the case of Kelter, the Romance languages retain few traces of the Latin word; compare Rhæto-Romance trachuoir, Walloon and Vosges trętœ (the more widely diffused Romance word for ‘funnel’ is Latin infundibulum, equivalent to French fondèfle, yet Albanian taftâr, ‘funnel,’ is also based on Latin *tractârius for trajectorium).