An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Leber

by Friedrich Kluge

Leber, f., ‘liver,’ from the equiv. MidHG. lëber, lëbere, OHG. lëbara, f.; the ë of the stem is an old i (comp. beben and leben); corresponds to Du. and MidLG. lever, AS. lifer, E. liver, OIc. lifr, f. Some have attempted to connected with this common Teut. word equiv. terms in the non-Teut. languages — Gr. ἥπαρ, Lat. jecur, Sans. yakṛt, and have assumed two stems, lik and ljē̆k (jêk); in that case the medial labial in Leber would represent an orig. guttural as in vier, fünf, elf, Wolf, &c. Equally uncertain is the explanation from the Gr. λίπα, ‘fat,’ λιπαρός, ‘sticky, greasy’; nor does it seem probable that Gr. λαπάρα, f., ‘loins, flanks,’ is allied, because the OTeut. word has an old i.