An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Zweck

by Friedrich Kluge

Zweck, m., ‘nail, plug; aim, object, design, goal,’ from MidHG. zwëc (-ckes), m., ‘nail, plug in the centre of the target; aim, object, design’; comp. zwacken, zwicken, and Zwick. How the ModHG. word (orig. ‘nail’) acquired its most prevalent meaning ‘design’ is explained by the MidHG. term, of which the central idea is ‘the object aimed at in the target’; other cognates of the MidHG. word are wanting.