An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/schleifen

by Friedrich Kluge

schleifen, vb., ‘to slide, sharpen, whet,’ from MidHG. slîfen, ‘to glide, sink, grind a weapon,’ &c. (prop. ‘to sharpen by letting it slide’), OHG. slîfan, ‘to glide, sink, smooth’; comp. Du. slijpen, ‘to sharpen,’ AS. tô-slîpan, ‘to dissolve,’ to which are allied E. to slip, and slippers (Ital. schippire, ‘to escape’). How the Teut. root slī̆p, ‘to glide, slip,’ is connected with the equiv. root slū̆p, discussed under the preceding word, and further also with schleichen (root slī̆k), has not yet been ascertained. The corresponding factitive schleichen, vb., ‘to trail,’ from MidHG. and OHG. sleifen, lit. ‘to cause to slide along,’ hence ‘to drag along, trail,’ even late MidHG. eine burc sleifen, ‘to raze a city’; comp. LG. and Du. slepen, ‘to drag along the ground, trail,’ whence ModHG. schleppen is borrowed. See Schiff.