An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Krippe
Krippe, f., ‘crib,’ from the equiv. MidHG. krippe, OHG. chrippa, f., for chrippja (Goth. *kribjô; for HG. pp. from Goth. bj, comp. further Rippe, Suppe, and üppig); corresponding to OSax. kribbia, kribba, AS. cribb, E. crib. In HG. occurs a variant with pf, which is phonetically obscure, OHG. chripfa, MidHG. and ModHG. kripfe; there are also dial. forms with u in the stem, Swiss krüpfli, LG. krübbe, AS. crybb, Scand. krubba, ‘crib.’ This word, in Goth. uzêta, ‘the thing from which one feeds,’ is connected with MidHG. krëbe, ‘basket’; hence ‘resembling a basket, woven,’ was perhaps the prim. meaning of Krippe. The West Teut. word passed into Rom. — Ital. greppia, Prov. crupia (the latter connected with the Teut. forms in u mentioned above), ModFr. crèche (whence E. cratch, ‘a grated crib,’ MidE. crache).