An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/trachten

by Friedrich Kluge

trachten, verb, ‘to aim (at), aspire (to),’ from Middle High German trahten, Old High German trahtôn, weak verb, ‘to think, esteem, consider, strive, invent, excogitate’; corresponding to Dutch trachten, Anglo-Saxon trahtian. Based on Latin tractare, ‘to treat, reflect on,’ whence Italian trattare, French traiter, ‘to treat.’ The genuine Teutonic origin of Old High German trahtôn is undoubted, hence it has been thought to be primitively allied to Greek δέρκομαι, Sanscrit dṛç, ‘to see.’