An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Zweifel

by Friedrich Kluge

Zweifel, m., ‘doubt, uncertainty,’ from MidHG. zwîvel, m., ‘uncertainty, distrust, fickleness, perfidy, despair,’ OHG. zwîfal, m., ‘uncertainty, apprehension, despair,’ Comp. Goth. tweifls, m., ‘doubt,’ OSax. twîfal, Du. twijfel. The following forms also occur, OHG. zwîfo, zwëho, m., ‘doubt’ (equiv. to OSax. twëho, AS. tweó, ‘doubt’), and OIc. týja (base twiwjôn), ‘doubt.’ All are based on a pre-Teut. dweiq (dwī̆p), ‘to doubt.’ — Allied to zweifeln, vb., ‘to doubt, suspect,’ from MidHG. zwîvelen, OHG. zwîfalôn, ‘to waver, doubt’; comp. OSax. twîflôn, ‘to waver,’ Dan. tvivle, Du. twijfelen, ‘to doubt.’ These cognates are unquestionably connected with zwei (comp. Gr. δοιή, ‘doubt,’ Sans. dvayá, ‘falseness’); the formation of the noun is, however, not clear (see Zweig and zwie-).