An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Beutel

by Friedrich Kluge

Beutel (1.), m., ‘a ripping chisel, a piece of wood for beating flax,’ first occurs in ModHG.; the t points to a LG. origin; in HG. we should have expected fs, in MidHG. ȥ (MidHG. bôȥel, bœȥel). Comp. LG. bœ̂tel, AS. bŷtel, E. beetle (for beating flax); from a root baut, ‘to strike, beat’ (AS. beátan, E. beat, OIc. bauta, OHG. bôȥȥan), which still appears in Amboß.

Beutel (2.), m., ‘purse,’ from MidHG. biutel, m., n., ‘purse, pocket,’ OHG. bûtil; comp. Du. buidel (buil), ‘purse’; Goth. *bûdils. The word cannot, however, be traced farther back than OHG.; its kinship to bieten, root bud, from bhudh, would throw no light on the meaning.