Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/183

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their different periods, signifies ‘gnawing animal’ (comp. MidHG. kifen, kiffen, ‘to gnaw, chew,’ MidHG. kiffel under Kiefer), or ‘husk animal,’ from OHG. chëva, ‘husk,’ MidHG. kaf, E. chaff (AS. čeaf).

Kaffer, ‘uneducated person,’ prop. a student's term, from Arab. kâfîr, ‘unbeliever.’

Käfig, m. and n., ‘cage, gaol,’ from MidHG. kęvje, m., f., and n., ‘cage (for wild animals and birds),’ also ‘prison’; the j of the MidHG. word became g (comp. Ferge and Scherge). OHG. chęvia, f., is derived from Low Lat. cávia, Lat. cặvea, ‘birdcage’ (respecting HG. f for Lat. v, comp. Pferd, Vers, and Verdikt), whence also ModHG. Kaue. Allied to the Rom. words, Ital. gabbia, gaggia, Fr. cage (hence E. cage), and Ital. gabbiuolo, Fr. geôle (E. jail, gaol), ‘prison.’ Further, Bauer first obtained the meaning ‘cage’ in MidHG.

Käfter, n., comp. Kabuse; the meaning ‘little chamber’ is ModHG. only; in OHG. chafteri, ‘beehive,’ Suab. Kâft, ‘student's room’. Allied to AS. ceafortûn, ‘hall’.

kahl, adj., from the equiv. MidHG. kal (gen. kalwer), ‘bald,’ OHG. chalo (gen. chalwêr, chalawêr); comp. Du. kaal, AS. calu, E. callow. Probably borrowed from Lat. calvus (Sans. khalvâta, ‘bald-headed’), whence Fr. chauve, since Lat. crispus and capillare have also been introduced into Teut.; comp. AS. cyrsp, E. crisp, OHG. and MidHG. krisp, ‘curly,’ and Goth. kapillôn, ‘to crop one's hair.’ Probably the Teutons and the Romans were equally struck by each other's method of wearing the hair. Other etymologists are inclined to connect Teut. kalwa- with OSlov. golŭ, ‘bare, naked.’

Kahm, Kahn, m., ‘mould on fermented liquids,’ from the equiv. MidHG. kâm (kân); comp. Ic. kám, n., ‘thin coating of dust, dirt,’ E. coom, ‘soot, coal dust’ (with i mutation, E. keam, keans); Goth. *kema-, *kemi-. The root ka- is inferred from MidHG. ka-del, m., ‘soot, dirt.’ Der. ̣kahmig, adj., ‘mouldy’ (of wine).

Kahn, m., ‘boat, skiff, wherry,’ ModHG. only (strictly unknown to UpG. and Rhen., as in the case of Boot; in UpG. Nachen); from LG. kane, Du. kaan; comp. OIc. kœ́na, f., ‘a kind of boat.’ OIc. kane signifies ‘wooden vessel,’ whence the meaning ‘boat’ might be evolved according to the analogies adduced under Schiff; comp. Dan. kane, with a somewhat different sense ‘sleigh.’ LG. kane looks like a metathesis of AS. naca (comp. fißeln and Ziege).

From the Teut. cognates, OFr. cane, ‘ship, is derived, but hardly so ModFr. canot, which is of American origin.

Kaiser, m., ‘emperor,’ from the equiv. MidHG. keiser, OHG. keisar; corresponding to AS. câsêre, Goth. kaisar. The ai of the ModHG. orthography originated in the Bav. and Aust. chancery of Maximilian I., in which the MidHG. ei necessarily became ai (according to the lexicographer Helvig, A.D. 1620, Meissen Sax. Keiser was Bohem.-Bav. Kayser). The ae of Lat. Caesar, upon which the word is based, cannot be made responsible for the ModHG. ai. Moreover, the relation of Lat. ai to Goth.-Teut. ai is not explained. The Romans, it is true, used ae for ai in Teut. words, comp. Lat. gaesum, under Ger; yet the use of Teut. ê to represent ae in Lat. Graecus (Goth. Krêks, OHG. Chriah, ‘Greek’) is opposed to this. At the same period as the adoption of the names Grieche and Römer (Goth. Rûmôneis), i.e., the beginning of our era, the Teutons must have borrowed the Lat. term, connecting it chiefly with Caius Julius Cæsar (similarly the Slavs use the name Karl der Große of Charlemagne, in the sense of ‘king’; OSlav. kraljǐ, Russ. korolǐ, whence Lith. karálius, ‘king’); yet not until the Roman emperors adopted the title Cæsar could this word, which probably existed previously in Teut., assume the meaning ‘emperor,’ while the Romance nations adhered to the Lat. title imperator; comp. Fr. empereur. OSlov. césarǐ (in Russ. contracted Car) is derived through a G. medium (which also elucidates MidE. and OIc. keiser) from Cæsar. Thus Kaiser is the earliest Lat. word borrowed by Teut. (see Hanf). For a Kelt loan-word meaning ‘king’ see under Reich.

Kajüte, f., ‘cabin,’ early ModHG., from LG. kajüte, Du. kajuit, Fr. cajute. The origin of the group is obscure, but is hardly to be assigned to Teut.

Kalander, m., ‘weevil,’ from the equiv. LG. and Du. kalander (comp. Fr. calandre).

Kalb, n., ‘calf,’ from the equiv. MidHG. kalp (b), OHG. chalb (plur. chalbir), n.; comp. AS. cealf, E. calf, Du. kalf, OIc. kalfr, m.; Goth. has only a fem. kalbô (OHG. chalba, MidHG. kalbe), ‘heifer over a year old that has not calved.’ MidHG. kilbere, f., OHG. chilburra, f., ‘ewe lamb,’ is in a different stage of gradation; comp. AS. cilforlamb, ‘ewe lamb,’ and ModHG. dial. Kilber (Swiss), ‘young ram,’ (E. dial.