An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Locke
Locke, f., ‘lock, curl, tress,’ from the equiv. MidHG. loc (plur. locke), OHG. loc (plur. locchâ), m.; comp. AS. locc, E. lock, OIc. lokkr, Du. lok, ‘lock’ A common Teut. word for ‘lock’ (Goth. *lukks is by chance not recorded), and peculiar to the Teutons, who from the earliest times laid special stress on the mode of wearing the hair; the freeman was distinguished by his long streaming locks, while the bondman wore his hair short. The Southerners (see fahl) were specially struck with the golden curly hair of the Teutons when they first came into contact with them. It is true that curls were considered effeminate by the earlier Northmen, though in Germany they were fondly cherished. Comp. also Haar, Schopf, Hede, and other words for ‘hair’ peculiar to Teut. The primit. history of the word is obscure; Locke (as ‘that which is bent’) is most provably connected with an Aryan root, lug, ‘to draw, bend, curve’; comp. Gr. λυγ- in λυγόω, λυγίζω, ‘I bend, tie,’ also λύγος, ‘young, pliant twig’ (Lith. palugnas, adj., ‘pleasing’?). In Teut. the following are also probably allied to these — Goth. lûkan, ‘to draw’ (uslûkan, ‘to unsheathe a sword’), North. Eng. to look, ‘to weed,’ Bav. liechen, ‘to pluck’ (e.g. the flax out of the ground).