Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/203

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AS. *clyft, E. cleft, clift, Du. kluft, f., ‘cleft, notch, chasm.’

klug, adj., ‘knowing, prudent, shrewd,’ from MidHG. kluoc (g), ‘fine, pretty, tender, superb, brave, polite, prudent, sly’; in OHG. not recorded, whether by chance or no is not known. It is thought to have been borrowed from LG., although the word in the non-HG. languages has a final k, LG. klôk, Du. klock, ‘prudent, brave, great, corpulent’ (not found in E.; Scand. klókr, ‘prudent, cunning,’ is supposed to be a G. loan-word). No clue to an etymological explanation of the adj. can be discovered.

Klumpe, Klumpen, m., ‘slump, lump,’ ModHG. only; from the equiv. LG. klamp, Du. klomp, m.; comp. E. clump. Scand. klumba, f., ‘club,’ with a different labial, also a variant klubba; klubbu-fótr, whence the equiv. E. ‘club-foot.’ Further references have not been discovered. Comp. Kolben.

Klüngel, n., ‘clew,’ from MidHG. *klüngel, klüngelîn, OHG. chlungilîn, n., ‘clew,’ dimin. of OHG. chlunga, f., ‘clew’; if ng be a suffix, as in jung, the word may be allied to Knäuel, OHG. chliuwa (root klu, Aryan glu), in which case it would be brought into connection with other terms; it is, however, more probably allied to E. to cling, from AS. clingan, ‘to cling to, hold fast, adhere.’

Klunker, f., ‘clot, tassel,’ ModHG. only; allied to MidHG. klungeler, ‘tassel,’ glunke, f., ‘dangling curl,’ glunkern, ‘to swing, dangle.’

Kluppe, f., ‘pincers,’ from MidHG. kluppe, f., ‘tongs, barnacles, splinter,’ OHG. kluppa, f., ‘tongs.’ Kluppe, like ModHG. Kluft (dial.) ‘tongs,’ is also derived from OTeut. kliuban, ‘to split, cleave’; unfortunately correspondences in other dialects are wanting (Goth. *klubjô?). Comp. klieben, klauben, and Kluft.

Knabe, m., ‘boy, lad, youth,’ from MidHG., late OHG. chnabo, m., ‘boy’; also ‘youth, fellow, servant,’ with the originally equiv. variants, ModHG. Knappe, MidHG. knappe, OHG. chnappo (OHG. chnabo and chnappo are related like Nabe and Nappe). AS. cnapa, OSax. knapo, and OIc. knape, ‘attendant, squire,’ present some difficulties compared with AS. cnafa, E. knave. Equally obscure is the relation of the entire class to the root ken, Aryan gen (Lat. genus, gi-gn-o, Gr. γένος, γι-γν-ομαι,

&c.), with which some etymologists would like to connect it; if it were allied, OHG. chnëht (kn-ëht) also might perhaps be compared.

knacken, vb., ‘to crack,’ from MidHG. knacken, gnacken, ‘to split, crack,’ wanting in OHG.; E. knack, MidE. cnak, ‘crack,’ Ic. knakkr; ModHG. Knack, ‘crack,’ MidHG. not yet found. To the same root OIc. knoka, AS. cnocian, E. to knock, formed by gradation, seem to belong. The words are based on an imitative root which is peculiar to Teut.

Knall, m., ‘sharp report, explosion,’ ModHG. only; allied to MidHG. er-knëllen, ‘to resound.’ Comp. AS. cnyll, cnell, m., ‘signal given by a bell,’ E. knell.

Knan, Knän, m., ‘father,’ from MidHG. genanne, gnanne, from genamne, prop., ‘of the same name’ (for MidHG. ge- comp. gleich and Geselle), ‘namesake.’ Used even in MidHG. by sons addressing their father or grandfather.

knapp, adj., ‘scanty,’ ModHG. only; wanting in MidHG. and OHG.; probably from LG., for gehnapp. Comp. OIc. hneppr, ‘narrow.’

Knappe, m., ‘squire, attendant,’ from MidHG. knappe, m., ‘youth, bachelor, servant, squire,’ OHG. chnappo, m.; in the rest of the OTeut. languages there are no cognates pointing to Goth. *knabba; two variants of the assumed *knabba are mentioned under Knabe, where the further etymological question is discussed. Comp. also Nabe with Nappe, Goth. laigân, ‘to lick,’ with AS. liccian.

knappen, vb., ‘to make scarce, hobble, nibble,’ ModHG. only, from Du. knappen, ‘to eat, lay hold of quickly.’ —

Knappsack, ‘knapsack,’ from Du. knap-zack, ‘saddlebag,’ whence probably also E. knapsack.

knarren, vb., ‘to creak,’ from MidHG. knarren, gnarren, ‘to creak, snarl’; a recent onomatopoetic term like knirren and knurren.

Knaster, m., ‘best tobacco,’ borrowed at the beginning of the 18th cent. from Du. knaster, kanaster, m., ‘canister tobacco,’ which comes from Span. canastro, ‘basket’ (comp. Lat. and Gr. canistrum, κάναστρον).

Knäuel, m. and n., ‘clew,’ from MidHG. kniuwel, kniulîn, kniul, n., ‘small clew or ball’; the n by differentiation represents l on account of the final l (see Knoblauch); MidHG. kliuwel, kliuwelîn, dimins. of MidHG. kliuwe, n., ‘clew, ball’;