An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Leumund

by Friedrich Kluge

Leumund, m., ‘reputation, character,’ from MidHG. and OHG. liumunt, m., ‘reputation, fame, report.’ In ModHG. it is perhaps instinctively interpreted as Leute Mund, ‘mouth of the people’; but the word is not a compound. In Goth. probably *hliumunds, m., which must be referred to hliuma, ‘hearing, ear’; -munda- is perhaps an affix corresponding to Gr. -ματ- and Lat. -mento- (in co-gnô-mentum). The root hliu- has numerous derivatives, both in the Teut. and non-Teut. languages (comp. laut, läuten, Gr. κλέος, Sans. çrávas, ‘fame’); Sans. çrômata-m., n., ‘hearing,’ corresponds most nearly in form to HG. Leumund. Lat. crîmen has absolutely nothing to do with these last two terms. Verleumden, ‘to calumniate,’ is not based directly on Leumund, but on a MidHG. liumde, normally abbreviated from it.