An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Reise

by Friedrich Kluge

Reise, f., ‘journey, travel, voyage,’ from MidHG. reise, f., ‘departure, march, journey, military expedition,’ OHG. reisa, f., ‘departure’; allied to OHG. rîsan, MidHG. rîsen, ‘to mount, fall,’ OSax. rîsan, ‘to rise,’ AS. rîsan, E. to rise, and the equiv. Goth. ur-reisan. The idea of vertical, and espec. of upward motion, thus belongs every where to the root rī̆s; therefore Reise is lit. ‘departure.’ Further, MidHG. and ModHG. reisen is a derivative of the subst.; comp. also with the root rī̆s, E. to raise and (by the change of s into r) to rear.