An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/schaffen

by Friedrich Kluge

schaffen, vb., ‘to create, procure, obtain, bring,’ from MidHG. schaffen, OHG. scaffan, ‘to create, effect, arrange, do, make.’ Also in a similar sense OHG. scępfen, skęffen, Goth. gaskapjan, AS. sčyppan, OSax. scęppian and Goth. *skapôn, OHG. scaffôn, MidHG. schaffen. These imply a root skap peculiar to Teut., the connection of which with schaben is not quite certain; see also schöpfen. OTeut. had a number of substant. derivatives from the same root, such as ModHG. Schöpfung, Geschöpf, and E. shape; see the following word and Schöffe.