An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Ei

by Friedrich Kluge

Ei, m., ‘egg,’ from MidHG. and OHG. eì, n., ‘egg’; common to Teut. with the same meaning, although Goth. *addjis, n. (comp. OIc. egg), is wanting; ada, however, is found in Crim. Goth. Comp. OSax. ei, Du. ei, AS. œ̂g, n. E. egg is borrowed from Scand. egg. Between the Teut. aias (ajjas), n., ‘egg,’ and the corresponding terms in the West Aryan languages there is an unmistakable agreement of sound, although the phonetic justification for the comparison has not yet been found; comp. Lat. óvum (Low Lat. *ŏvum, on account of Fr. œuf), Gr. ὠόν, OSlov. jaje, aje (from the base *êjo-?), OIr. og, ‘egg.’ Arguing from these cognates, Teut. ajjas, n., has been derived from êwjo-, ôwjo-, and connected with Lat. avis, Sans. vi, ‘bird.’ In East Aryan no corresponding word is found.