An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/schief

by Friedrich Kluge

schief, adj., ‘oblique, awry. sloping,’ a MidG. and LG. word; MidHG. and MidG. schief, ‘awry, distorted’; cognate with AS. sčâb, OIc. skeifr, ‘awry,’ North Fris. skiaf, Du. scheef, ‘awry’ (whence E. skew is borrowed), Schmalkald. šeip. HG. dials. also imply a MidHG. schëp (pp), ‘awry’; Hess. and Franc. šëp, Suab. šeps. Besides these primit. Teut. cognates skibb, skaib (whence Lett. schkîbs, ‘awry,’ is borrowed), UpG. has skieg, which is represented by MidHG. ‘schiec, ‘awry,’ Bav. and Alem. šiegen, šieggen, ‘to waddle’ (respecting the ie see Stiege and Wiege). They are all connected, like Gr. σκίμπτω, ‘to bend,’ with an Aryan root skī̆q, skaiq.