An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Rad

by Friedrich Kluge

Rad, m., ‘wheel,’ from the equiv. MidHG. rat (gen. rades), OHG. rad, n.; corresponding to LG. and Du. rad (comp. also OFris. reth). The word is confined to MidEurop. Teut.; it is wanting in E., Scand., and Goth.; this, however, is no reason for assuming that the word is borrowed from Lat. rota. Since OHG. rad is based on pre-Teut. rotho-m, rothos, n., (Goth. *raþa-), ‘wheel,’ it is primit. cognate with the equiv. OIr. roth, m., and Lat. rota, and likewise with Lith. rátas, ‘wheel.’ The corresponding Sans. ratha-s (rathas, n. in ráthas-páti) signifies ‘car,’ espec. ‘war chariot’ (for the root roth see under rasch), while Sans. cakra, Gr. κύκλος, corresponding to AS. hweol, E. wheel, also means ‘wheel’ in Aryan. —