An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/pflücken
pflücken, vb., ‘to pluck, gather,’ from the equiv. MidHG. pflücken (MidG. pflocken); OHG. *pflucchen is by chance not recorded; comp. Du. plukken, AS. pluccian (AS. *plyččan may be inferred from MidE. plicchen), E. to pluck, OIc. plokka, ‘to pluck’ (birds). Since the word is so widely diffused in OTeut. (it is wanting only in UpG.; yet note Swiss blucke, ‘to pluck,’ from the prim. form *bluggôn) there is absolutely no foundation for supposing that it has been borrowed. If it be assumed that the cognates found their way to the North with the South Europ. culture of the vine in the 2nd or 3rd cent., from Ital. piluccare, ‘to gather grapes’ (Prov. pelucar, ‘to pluck out,’ Fr. éplucher), then the early existence of the Rom. word must be more definitely established.