An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/kraus

by Friedrich Kluge

kraus, adj., ‘frizzled,’ from MidHG. krûs, ‘curled, frizzled’; unknown to all the OTeut. languages; retained in MidDu. kruis, ModDu. kroes, ‘dishevelled, entangled, frizzled, stubborn’; MidE. crûs, ‘frizzled, angry.’ The genuine Teut. origin and great antiquity of kraus are certified by the equiv. parallel cognates, MidHG. krol (ll), ‘curly, lock of hair,’ Du. krul, ‘lock,’ krullig, ‘frizzled, curly,’ MidE. crul, ‘curly.’ Comp. Krolle.