An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Falke

by Friedrich Kluge

Falke, m., ‘falcon, hawk,’ from the equiv. MidHG. valke, OHG. falcho, m. (in UpG. still written Falch). In the other Teut. languages the word does not appear till late in the Middle Ayes (OIc. falke, E. falcon, Du. valk), yet Falco already existed in Lombardic proper names (comp. also AS. Wester-falcna). Among the Anglo-Saxons the falcon was called wealhheafoc, ‘Welsh hawk’; OIc. valr, ‘falcon,’ is prop. ‘the Kelic (bird)’; comp. Walnuß, welsch. Hence it is possible that OHG. falcho originated in the tribal name Volcae, ‘Kelts’; *volcon- may have become falkon-, and the Romance cognates (Ital. falcone, Fr. faucon) borrowed from it. But it is also possible that the word is connected with the cognates of fahl (UpGer. falch, ‘a fawn-coloured cow’); hence Falke, ‘a fawn-coloured (bird)’?. If, on the other hand, the word originated in the Lat.-Rom. cognates (Lat. falco is recorded in the 4th cent.), we must base it on the Lat. falx, ‘sickle’; falco, lit. ‘sickle-bearer’ (on account of its hooked claws?).