Jump to content

An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Schimpf

From Wikisource
An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, S (1891)
by Friedrich Kluge, translated by John Francis Davis
Schimpf
Friedrich Kluge2509637An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, S — Schimpf1891John Francis Davis

Schimpf, m., ‘insult, abuse, affront,’ from MidHG. schimpf (parallel form schampf), m., ‘jest, pastime, play, tournament.’ The current meaning first appeared in early ModHG.; yet the older sense ‘jest,’ which belongs to OHG. scimpf, MidHG. schimpf, was retained till the 17th cent. (Logau); comp. Du. schimp, ‘scorn, mockery,’ MidHG. schumpfe, f., ‘paramour’ (lit. ‘she who jests’). The root skimp, ‘to jest,’ which appears in OHG. scimpf, is wanting in the other Teut. dials. It has been connected with Gr. σκώπτω, ‘to jest, deride,’ which, with its double meaning, certainly furnishes an analogy for MidHG. Schimpf.