An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Lenz

by Friedrich Kluge

Lenz, m. (Bav. längess, längsing, Swiss langsi), from the equiv. MidHG. lęnze, m. and f., ‘spring’ (from the variants langeȥ, langeȥe); OHG. lęnzo, lęnzī̆n, langiȥ, m.; the loss of the g is normal, as in Bliß and Runzel. Comp. Du. lente, AS. lęncten, m., ‘spring,’ E. Lent. This West Teut. word was probably the term for spring, and Tacitus in the Germania seems to have a dim idea that it was used by the Teutons (OIc. vár, MidE. and Scotch wêr, North Fris. ûrs, wos, represent the North Teut. term primit. allied to Lat. vêr, Gr. ἔαρ, Sans. vasar); for the other observations of Tacitus on the OTeut. divisions of time, comp. Herbst (also Frühling, which has supplanted the old word Lenz in most of the modern dials. of Upper Germany; see an old Aryan term for Lenz under Jahr). The word is peculiar to Teut.; it has not been authenticated in the non-Teut. languages; its prim. meaning is therefore dubious. Some etymologists, misled simply by the similarity of sound, have connected Lenz with lang (Goth. laggs), and opined that it was so named from the lengthening of the days; such a derivation is at all events uncertain.