An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/räuspern

by Friedrich Kluge

räuspern, verb, ‘to hawk, clear the throat,’ from the equivalent Middle High German riuspern (riustern). This verb, which is not recorded prior to Middle High German, belongs to a root frequently occurring in Teutonic, rū̆k (Aryan rū̆g), ‘to belch, eructate,’ the k disappearing before the suffix sp, st; compare Anglo-Saxon roccettan, ‘to belch,’ Old High German itarucchen, Middle High German itrücken, Anglo-Saxon edorcan (eodorcan), ‘to chew the cud.’ Compare Latin ê-rûgere, ‘to spit out,’ rûminare (for *rûgminare), ‘to chew the cud,’ and ructare, ‘to belch,’ Greek ἐρεύγεν, ‘to spit out,’ ἐρυγή, feminine, ‘vomiting,’ Old Slovenian rygati sę ‘to belch,’ Lithuanian atrūgas, feminine plural, ‘rising of the stomach.’