An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Trichter

by Friedrich Kluge

Trichter (in UpG. and LG. dialects Trachter), m., ‘funnel,’ from the equiv. MidHG. trihter, with older variants tręhter, drahter, OHG. trahtâri, m.; corresponding to Du. trechter, OAS. tructer (Swed. tratt?). Based on MidLat. tractârius, ‘funnel,’ corrupted from the equiv. Lat. trâjectôrium (Lat. trajicere, traicere), ‘to pour from one vessel into another.’ For the contraction comp. Utrecht, Mastricht, from Lat. Ultrajectum, Mosae-Trajectum. The word was borrowed in Ger. coincident with the introduction of Ital. wine-culture (comp. Kelter, Spund, and Wein). As in the case of Kelter, the Romance languages retain few traces of the Lat. word; comp. Rhet. trachuoir, Walloon and Vosges trętœ (the more widely diffused Rom. word for ‘funnel’ is Lat. infundibulum, equiv. to Fr. fondèfle, yet Alban. taftâr, ‘funnel,’ is also based on Lat. *tractârius for trajectorium).