An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Sonne

by Friedrich Kluge

Sonne, f., ‘sun,’ from the equiv. MidHG. sunne, OHG. sunna, f.; a common Teut. term; comp. Goth. sunnô, f. and n., AS. sunne, f., E. sun, Du. zon, OSax. sunna, f. In OSax. and OHG. (MidHG.) sunno (sunne) also occurs as masc., which is similar to OHG. stër-no, mâ-no (see Stern). OIc. sól (corresponding to Goth. souil, AS. sôl), the only term used in Mod. Scand., is primit. allied to Lat. sôl, Gr. ἥλιος, ‘sun,’ which, like Sans. svar, ‘sun,’ are based on an Aryan root sā̆́w, sū̆ ‘to give light’; on this root the common Teut. term sunnôn- may also be based. —