An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Knäuel

by Friedrich Kluge

Knäuel, m. and n., ‘clew,’ from MidHG. kniuwel, kniulîn, kniul, n., ‘small clew or ball’; the n by differentiation represents l on account of the final l (see Knoblauch); MidHG. kliuwel, kliuwelîn, dimins. of MidHG. kliuwe, n., ‘clew, ball’; OHG. chliuwelîn, dimin. of chliuwa, chliwa, f., ‘ball, clew’; AS. cleówe, clŷwe, n., MidE. cleewe, E. clew; also AS. cleówen, clŷwen, m. like MidG. klûwen, Du. kluwen, ‘skein.’ OHG. also kliwi, kliuwi, n., MidHG. kliuwe, n., ‘clew.’ A richly developed nominal stem peculiar to West Teut.; the Goth. form is probably *kliwi (kliujis), n. or *kliujô, n.; the root klū̆, by gradation klē̆u, appears also perhaps in Klaue (Goth. *klêwa), which in that case was so called from its contracting; comp. Lat. gluere, ‘to contract,’ glûma, ‘husk,’ also Sans. glâus, ‘bale,’ hence Aryan root glu. Lat. glŏbus and glŏmus are not connected with this word.