An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/kunterbunt

by Friedrich Kluge

kunterbunt, adj., ‘higgledy-piggledy,’ ModHG. only; in MidHG., however, kuntervêch, adj., which means ‘variegated, strange as a Kunter,’ i.e. ‘monster’. But while MidHG. kunter, ‘monster,’ and OHG. chuntar, ‘herd, drove of cattle’ (cognate with OSlov. ženą, Lith. genù, ‘I drive cattle’?), are UpG., kunterbunt is prop. LG. Both MidHG. kuntervêch and ModHG. kunterbunt are imitations of MidHG. kunterfeit, lit. ‘contrafactus, not genuine’; from this in MidHG. (MidG.) a word kunter, ‘what is false, deceptive,’ was deduced.