An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/schäbig

by Friedrich Kluge

schäbig, adj., ‘shabby, sordid, scabby,’ from an earlier ModHG. Schabe, ‘scab, itch’; comp. MidHG. sohębic, ‘scabby.’ Allied, like AS. sčęabb, E. shab (shabby perhaps influenced the ModHG. meaning of schäbig), to schaben.