An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Rand

by Friedrich Kluge

Rand, m., ‘rim, border, brink,’ from MidHG. rant (gen. randes), m., OHG. rant (gen. rantes), m., ‘boss of a shield,’ then ‘rim of a shield,’ and finally ‘rim’ (generally); so too Du. rand, ‘edge, rim,’ AS. rǫnd, m., ‘rim of a shield, shield, rim,’ E. rand, OIc. rǫnd (for randô-), ‘shield, rim of a shield.’ Goth. *randa, ‘rim,’ is also implied by Span. randa, ‘lace on clothes.’ Pre-Teut. *ram-tâ points to a root rem (AS. rĭma, reoma, ‘rim’), the m of which before d would be necessarily changed to n (see hundert, Sand, Sund, and Schande). From the same prim. form is derived the modern dial. term Ranft for Rand; comp. OHG. ramft (with an excrescent f as in Kunft? yet comp. the equiv. OSlov. rąbŭ and Lith. rùmbas), m., ‘rim, rind, border,’ MidHG. ranft, m., ‘frame, rim, rind.’ Rinde also belongs probably to the same stem.