An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/beugen

by Friedrich Kluge

beugen, verb, ‘to bow, humble,’ from the equivalent Middle High German böugen, Old High German bougen, boucken; it corresponds to Anglo-Saxon bêgan, bîgan, ‘to bow,’ English to bay, ‘to dam (water)’; factitive of biegen; hence literally ‘to cause to bend.’