An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/sonder

by Friedrich Kluge

sonder, preposition, ‘without,’ from the equivalent Middle High German sunder, which is properly an adverb, ‘aside, separately,’ but in Old High German and Middle High German it is frequently a conjunction, ‘but, rather.’ Compare Old High German suntar, adverb, ‘separately, especially, but,’ Gothic sundrô, ‘separated, alone,’ Anglo-Saxon sundor, English asunder, Dutch zonder, ‘without.’ Allied to Greek ἄτερ, ‘without,’ from the primary form sntér? With this word is connected besonders, from Middle High German besunder, ‘separately, singly.’ —