An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/beizen

by Friedrich Kluge

beizen, vb., ‘to cauterise, pickle, etch,’ from MidHG. beiȥen (beitzen), weak vb., ‘to macerate, make soft, hawk at birds’; OHG. beiȥen (beizzen), orig. sense ‘to cause to bite,’ is the factitive of OHG. bîȥȥan, see beißen. The corresponding E. to bait (a hook, a horse on a journey, and hence to put up, halt at a place, also to allure) is derived from the Scand. beita, which is identical with OHG. beizzan.