An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/schlecken

by Friedrich Kluge

schlecken, verb, ‘to lick, lap, be dainty,’ from late Middle High German slëcken, ‘to eat dainties by stealth’; allied to Middle High German slëc, masculine, ‘daintiness, dainty mouth,’ and havenslëcke, ‘glutton’; Old High German *slëcchôn, ‘to be fond of dainties,’ is wanting, as well as a corresponding term in any of the other Old Teutonic dialects. Not allied to schlucken, but an intensive form of Old Icelandic sl(illegible text)ikja, ‘to lick,’ which implies a Teutonic root slī̆k, sloiq.