Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/197

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Kipfel, dial., also Gipfel, m. and n., from the equiv. MidHG. kipfe, m., ‘roll of fine white bread pointed at both ends’ (Gipfel is a corrupt form); perhaps allied to OHG. chipfa, f., MidHG. kipfe, ‘drag of a wheel.’

Kippe, f., ‘brink, edge,’ from MidG. and LG.; the proper HG. form is Kipfe, meaning ‘point’ in Luther; earlier references are wanting. The nominal vb. kippen means ‘to cut of the point’; in the sense of ‘to strike,’ allied to OIc. kippa, ‘to strike,’ AS. cippian, with which ModHG. kappen is also connected.

Kirche, f., ‘church,’ from the equiv. MidHG. kirche (Swiss chilche), OHG. chirī̆hha (Swiss chī̆lihha), f.; corresponding to Du. kerk, AS. čiriče, čyriče, E. church. As is shown by the OHG. hh of chirī̆hha, the word must have existed before the OHG. period; names of places with Kirche are found in Germany even before the beginning of the 8th cent.; yet the word is unknown to Goth. (the terms used were gudhûs, ‘the house of God,’ gards or razn - bidô, ‘house of prayer’; also aíkklêsjô, ‘coetus christianorum’). The other Teut. tribes must, however, have adopted the term from Gr. through the medium of Goth. (comp. Pfaffe, also Heide, Taufe, and Teufel). It is true that Gr. κυριακή (with ἡμέρα understood) during the first ten centuries signified ‘Sunday’ exclusively, and only from the 11th cent. onwards did it obtain the meaning ‘house of the Lord.’ But since the word is foreign, we may assume that the gender of κυριακόν, ‘church’ (or its plur. κῦριακά), recorded from the 4th cent., was changed (OHG. chī̆rī̆hha, f.). Since the Gr. word was never current in the Romish Church (the LatRom. as well as the Kelt. term being ecclesia), we have in Kirche a term of the Greek Church, though in other cases the words adopted with Christianity are essentially Lat. (from Goth. *kyreika, Russ. cerkovĭ, and OSlov. crŭky are also probably derived). The introduction of Kirche through a Goth. medium was possible as late as the 9th cent. at least, for, according to Wal. Strabo, divine service was celebrated on the Lower Danube in the Goth. language even at that period. —

Kirchspiel, n., ‘parish,’ from MidHG. kirchspil, also kirspel; the second part of the compound is instinctively connected with Menschenspiel, yet its origin has not been definitely ascertained; some have referred it to Goth.

spill, n., ‘speech’ (comp. Beispiel), and have defined Kirchspiel as ‘the district within which the decision of a church is paramount.’ This assumption is not quite satisfactory, because no connecting link between Kirchenwort, ‘decision of the church,’ and Kirchspiel, ‘parish,’ can be discovered. Following the explanation of Pfarre, we should rather assume some such meaning as ‘district, enclosure, forbearance,’ which is supported by AS. spelian, ‘to spare, protect’; comp. AS. spela, ‘representative’?. —

Kirchweih, f., ‘dedication of a church,’ from MidHG. kirchwîhe, f., which thus early signifies also ‘annual fair,’ and even ‘fête’ generally, OHG. chirihwîhî, f., prop. ‘dedication of a church’ (comp. Alem. Kilbe, chilbi).

Kirmes, f., ‘village fête,’ from MidHG. kirmësse, f., ‘dedication festival,’ for the unrecorded kirchmësse, just as MidHG. kirspil is a variant of kirchspel, n., ‘parish,’ and kirwîhe a variant of kirchwîhe, ‘dedication of a church.’ Kirmes (Du. kerkmis, kermis), lit. ‘mass to celebrate the dedication of a church’ (in Alem. chilbe, from kilchwîhe, Bav. kirta, from kirchtac). Comp. Messe.

kirre, adj., ‘tractable,’ from MidHG. kürre, MidG. kurre, kirre, adj., ‘tame, mild’; derived, by suppressing the w, from earlier OHG. *churri, *quirri; comp. Goth. qaírrus, ‘meek,’ OIc. kvirr, kyrr, adj., ‘still, quiet.’ Perhaps based on the Teut. root gër appearing in ModHG. Köder; yet Lith. gurti, ‘to grow weak, relax,’ gurus, ‘crumbling,’ may also be allied.

Kirsche, f., from the equiv. MidHG. kirse, kërse (Alem. chriesi), f., ‘cherry’ (for the change of s into sch comp. Arsch and Hirsch). OHG. chirsa (*chirissa), f., is certainly not derived from Lat. cerasum, but, like the cognate Rom. words, from ceręsia (prop. n. plur. of the adj. ceraseus?. Comp. Gr. κεράσιον, ‘cherry,’ κερασία, κερασέα, ‘cherry tree’), only with a Teut. accent; the Alem. form Kriese (from the prim. form krêsia, which perhaps appears also in Istrian kriss and Serv. kriješa), like Kirsche, is based too on the common primit. form with the Rom. accent; MidLat. *cerę́sea (Ital. ciregia, Fr. cerise); comp. also OSlov. črěšĭnja (primit. Slav. *čers-, from *kers-?). The adoption of the word by HG. occurred before the 7th cent., as is shown by the preservation of the initial c as k in HG. For a discussion of the period at which the word was