An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Zotte

by Friedrich Kluge

Zotte (1.), Zottel, feminine, ‘lock, tuft, tangle,’ from Middle High German zote, zotte, masculine and feminine, ‘tuft of hair,’ Old High German zotta, zata, zota, feminine, zotto, masculine, ‘mane, comb (of birds), tuft.’ Middle High German zotte is normally permutated from toddôn-; compare Old Icelandic todde, masculine, ‘tuft, bit, tod (weight for wool),’ English tod, Dutch todde, ‘rags, tatters’; also Danish tot, ‘tuft of hair, tangle,’ Dutch toot, ‘hair-net’?. Nothing more definite can be ascertained concerning the early history of the word. From German are derived the Italian words zazza, zázzera, ‘long hair,’ and tattera, ‘rubbish, trash’ (perhaps also Italian zatter, zattera, Spanish zata, zatara, ‘raft.’

Zotte (2.), feminine, dialectic, ‘spout of a vessel,’ equivalent to Dutch tuit, ‘pipe’ (see Düte).