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An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/tapfer

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An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, T (1891)
by Friedrich Kluge, translated by John Francis Davis
tapfer
Friedrich Kluge2508931An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, T — tapfer1891John Francis Davis

tapfer, adj., ‘brave, variant, bold,’ from MidHG. tapfer (dapfer, tapfel), ‘firm, pressed, full, weighty, important’ (only in late MidHG. brave), OHG. tapfar, ‘heavy, weighty, important’; comp. Du. dapper, ‘brave, much,’ E. dapper. The connection in meaning with OSlov. doblĭ, ‘strong, able,’ debelŭ, ‘stout,’ and dobrŭ, ‘beautiful, good,’ is quite clear, but it is difficult to show how it is related to the corresponding OIc. dapr, ‘sad’; note, however, ModHG. dreist, ‘bold, audacious,’ OHG. drîsti, OLG. thrîsti, compared with Lat. trîstis.