An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Winzer

by Friedrich Kluge

Winzer, masculine, ‘vintager, vine-dresser,’ from the equivalent Middle High German wī̆nzürl, wī̆nzürle, Old High German wînzuril (wînzurnil), masculine. It can hardly have been borrowed from Latin vînitor, which must have produced the Old High German form *wînizâri (Middle High German wī̆nzœre, wī̆nzer). Old High German wînzuril is more probably, however, a compound slightly influenced by the Latin term; its second component is derived from Old High German zëran, ‘to tear or pluck off.’ Compare Wein, and for the accented vowel Wingert.