An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Maut
Maut, f., ‘toll, duty,’ a Bav. word, from MidHG. mûte, f., OHG. mûta, f., ‘toll.’ The current derivation from MidLat. mûta is not satisfactory, since the latter word is not recorded until late (first half of the 9th cent.), and that as a G. word, nullum teloneum neque quod lingua theodisca Muta vocatur; ann. 837. Goth. môta, f., ‘toll,’ is the earliest recorded term. Yet OHG. mûta and Goth. môta (also OIc. and OSwed. múta, ‘fee, gratuity, bribe’) are not equiv., since Goth. môta (AS. môt) leads to OHG. *muoȥa, and OHG. mûta to Goth. *mûda. Probably the OBav. word was borrowed about the 8th cent., after the HG. permutation of consonants, from a dial. closely allied to the Goth. (Goth. ô tended towards û); to this is also allied OSlov. myto, ‘toll.’ An earlier loan-word is also recorded in MidHG. muoȥe, ‘toll, tax,’ which points to OHG. *muoȥa, and which has been preserved in Bav. Mueß, ‘miller’s fee.’ Yet the word may have been primit. allied to the Goth. The term Zoll, which is cognate in meaning, is also of obscure origin.