An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Küchlein

by Friedrich Kluge

Küchlein, n., ‘chicken,’ ModHG. only; a MidG. and LG. word introduced by Luther into HG. (in UpG. dial. hüenli, West MidG. hünkel, Suab. luggele). To the MidG. and LG. küchen, küken, correspond AS. čŷčen (plur. čŷcnu), MidE. chîken, E. chick, chicken, Scand. kjúklingr, Du. kieken, keuken. The Goth. dimin. termination -îna- (*kiukein) frequently occurs in the names of animals, Goth. gait-ein, AS. tiččen (Goth. *tikkein), AS. hêčen (Goth. *hôkein), n. ‘kid’; see Füllen, Geiß, Schwein, Zicklein, and Mädchen. The substan. on which the word is based is AS. cocc, E. cock, Scand. kokkr (to which Goth. *kiukein, n., is related by gradation). There is no reason for thinking that the Teut. word was borrowed from Rom. — Fr. coq, like AS. cocc (UpG. gockel, gückel), is a recent onomatopoetic term also, for W. and Corn. cog, ‘cuckoo,’ points also to the base cucâ (so too OIr. cúach, ‘cuckoo,’ from coucâ). Comp. Kuckuck.