An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Hemd

by Friedrich Kluge

Hemd, n., ‘shirt,’ from MidHG. and MidLG. hęmde, hęmede, OHG. hęmidi, n., ‘shirt,’ prop. ‘long under-garment’; allied to OFris. hemethe, AS. hęmeþe (Goth. *hameiþi?); a dimin. term, formed like OHG. jungîdi, ‘young of animals.’ The sense ‘short garment, bodice,’ originates in Teut. hama-, ‘garment,’ the same as OIc. hamr, m., ‘covering, skin, external form.’ See further under Leichnam, also Hamen, hämisch. The Goth. form *hameiþja- previous to its permutation was kamîtjo-, and with this the late Lat. term camisia, ‘tunica interior, under-garment, shirt,’ recorded at the beginning of the 5th cent., and chiefly in relation to soldiers, must be connected in some way; it differs little from the assumed form in pre-Teut.; OIc. hams, m. (from hamisa-), ‘slough of a snake,’ has a derivative s. Probably Sans. çamulýa, ‘shirt,’ is prim. allied. Since there is no doubt that the HG. word is classical Teut., the vulgar camisia must be traced back to a Teut. origin, which is also attested by W. hefis, ‘chemise,’ and OIr. caimmse, ‘nomen vestis.’ The relation of the initial HG. h to Rom. c would correspond to that of Fr. Chivert to its OHG. original Hiltibert, i.e. a Franc. ch forms the connecting link. In Lat. camîsia we obtain for HG. Hemd other related terms in Rom. (Fr. chemise, Ital. camicia).