An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Kastanie

by Friedrich Kluge

Kastanie, f., ‘chestnut’; comp. OHG. chęstinna, MidHG. kę́stene, kę́sten, kastânie. The latter is evidently a return to the orig. form, Lat. castanea, which had already been transformed to kęstenne (comp. UpG. Kešte). Moreover, OHG. chęstinna and AS. čisten (čistenbeám, MidHG. kestenboum, E. chestnut) point to a Lat. *castinia, *castinja. Comp. Fr. châtaigne, Ital. castagna, ‘chestnut.’ The Lat. word is derived from the equiv. Gr. καστανέα, -νεια, -νειον, -νον; the chestnut was named from the town of Κάστανα, in Pontus.