An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Hirn

by Friedrich Kluge

Hirn, n., from the equiv. MidHG. hirne, OHG. hirni, n., ‘brain.’ We should have expected Goth. *haírni, n., for which hwairneins, ‘skull,’ occurs once in the gen. sing. OIc. hjarne, m., ‘brain’; also corresponding in sound to the Goth. word hvern, f., ‘the two white boat-shaped bones in the brain of fishes, ooliths’ (LG. has a peculiar word for Gehirn — E. brain, AS. brœgen, Du. brein, MidDu. bregen; see Brägen). The words with initial h and those with hw must be kept distinct. Du. hersen, f., ‘brain’ (E. dial. harns), to which is allied MidHG. hërsenier, ‘covering for the head worn under the helmet,’ proves the origin of OHG. hirni from *hirzni, *hirsní (OIc. hjarne from *hjarsne; comp. Hornisse). This OTeut. herzn-, hersn-, is most nearly related to Sans. çîršn-, ‘head’ (nom. çîrša), and the closely corresponding OIc. as ‘crown (of the head).’ It is also cognate with Gr. κρανίον, ‘skull,’ whence results the further connection with Gr. κάρα, κάρηνον, ‘head,’ Lat. cerebrum (from *ceresrum), ‘brain,’ Sans. çiras, ‘head’; a common Aryan stem, ker, kers, ‘head,’ to which Horn is also allied. Moreover, Gr. κέρνον, ‘a large earthen dish,’ might, according to the analogies mentioned under Kopf, be closely related to Hirn, ‘skull.’