An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Gipfel

by Friedrich Kluge

Gipfel, m., ‘summit, top, climax,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. gipfel, m., the prim. word cannot be discovered; Gipfel is scarcely an intensive form of Giebel; MidHG. gupf, gupfe, ‘point, summit,’ is still less closely allied, and is rather a variant of Kuppe.