An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/kneipen

by Friedrich Kluge

kneipen, vb. ‘to pinch,’ early ModHG., orig. LG. knîpen (see also kneifen); Du. knijpen, ‘to nip, twitch’; probably not allied to AS. hnîpan, hnipian, ‘to bow,’ but to a root hnîp, ‘to nip,’ not recorded in OTeut., from which also MidE. nipen, E. to nip, are derived; kn initially may be explained from *gahnîpan. The pre-Teut. root knîb appears in Lith. knìbti, ‘to pick, pluck,’ knèbti, ‘to nip.’ If the E. word is unconnected with Du. knijpen on account of the initial sound, we might assume a root knîb, gnîb (Lith. gnýbti, ‘to nip,’ gnýbis, ‘nip’), though this too is not recorded in OTeut.