An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/schleißen

by Friedrich Kluge

schleißen, vb., ‘to slit, split, gash,’ from MidHG. slîȥen, OHG. slîȥan, ‘to split, tear to pieces, wear out’; corresponding to OSax. slîtan, ‘to tear to pieces,’ Du. slijten, ‘to wear out,’ AS. slîtan, ‘to tear to pieces,’ to which E. to slit is allied, OIc. slíta, ‘to tear to pieces.’ The Teut. root slī̆t, ‘to tear to pieces’ (Goth. *sleitan), from pre-Teut. slī̆d, has not yet been found in the non-Teut. languages. See schlitzen, the intensive form. Schleißen, wk. vb., as the factitive of the str. vb., is MidHG. and OHG. sleiȥen, sleitzen, ‘to tear to pieces, split.’