Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/216

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kribbeln, vb., ‘to crawl, tickle,’ ModHG. only, kribeln (MidG.), ‘to tickle’; a recent formation; comp. ModDu. kribeln, ‘to itch, prick,’ kribbelen, ‘to grumble, wrangle.’

Kribskrabs, Kribbelkrabbel, m., ModHG., an onomatopoetic term for ‘utter confusion’; comp. ModDu. kribbelen, ‘to scrawl’?.

Krieche, f., ‘early sloe,’ from the equiv. MidHG., f., ‘early sloe-tree,’ OHG. chriehboum; comp. Du. kriek, f., ‘wild cherry.’ Phonetically it might be derived from OHG. Chriah, MidHG. Kriech, ‘a Greek,’ if *grœca could be found in MidLat. denoting the tree and the fruit. The word must hare been introduced from Italy, on account of the Lat. term (comp. Kirsche), for it is inconceivable that the Germans, of their own accord, and without foreign precedent, should lave termed the fruit ‘Greek’ because it was imported, as we assume for the moment, from Greece. At all events, the name has not yet been explained (comp. further the Fr. loan-word crèque).

kriechen, vb., ‘to crawl,’ from the equiv. MidHG. kriechen, OHG. chriohhan, str. vb.; corresponding to OSax. kriupan, Du. kruipen, AS. creópan, E. to creep, OIc. krjúpa. The relation of the HG. form with ch from k to the remaining Teut. languages with p has well-authenticated analogies; see Rufe (1), werfen, and Strunk. The guttural appears again in MidE. crûchen, E. to crouch. Kraufen, ‘to crawl,’ is the MidHG. (MidG.) krûfen.

Kriechente, see Kriekente.

Krieg, m., ‘war,’ from MidHG. kriec(g), m., ‘exertion, endeavour to obtain something,’ then also ‘opposition, resistance, argument, discord, combat.’ The predominant meaning in ModHG. is the latest and ‘counter-effort' the earliest; comp. MidHG. einkriege, adj., ‘self-willed.’ For a similar evolution of meaning comp. OHG. flîȥ, ‘exertion, zeal, quarrel'; see Fleiß. The word is almost entirely unknown to OHG.; it occurs once as chrêg, ‘pertinacia,’ with which widarkrêgi, ‘controversia', widarkriegelîn, ‘obstinatus’ (with obscure ê, ia, ie), are connected. This word, obscure in origin, is shared only by Du. (krijg) with G.; in all the other Teut. languages it is wanting, Dan. and Swed. krig being borrowed from G. Comp. the following word.

kriegen, vb., ‘to get,’ from MidHG. krie-

gen (in MidG. krîgen is str., so too the corresponding vb. in LG. and Du.), ‘to exert oneself, strive, aim at, oppose, struggle,’ then also ‘to defend, maintain an opinion,’ MidG. also ‘to obtain, receive’; the latter meaning is LG. and Du. (krijgen, ‘to obtain, receive’). With regard to the numerous meanings comp. OHG. winnan, ‘to exert oneself, struggle,’ giwinnan, ‘to win.’ Hence the various senses of the vb. are the outcome of a prim. meaning ‘to make an effort against,’ just as in the case of the noun Krieg, on which it is based.

Kriekente, f., ‘teal,’ a LG. form for HG. Kriech-Ente; wanting in MidHG. and OHG.; it is based on Lat. anas crecca, hence also Swed. kräcka. Fr. sarcelle, ‘teal,’ like Ital. cerceta, is traced to Lat. anas querquedula; thus it has no etymological connection with Kriechente; the same may be said of E. crake, corncrake.

Kring, m., ‘circular pad for the head,’ from MidHG. krinc(g), m., ‘circle, ring, district,’ with the MidG. variant kranc(g); LG. has a variant krink with final k, since in the whole of the corresponding class k and g at the end of the stem interchange (comp. frank). Scand. kring, kringum, adv., ‘round about,’ kringja, ‘to encircle,’ kringlóttr, adj., ‘round.’ — E. crank, MidE. cranke; E. to crankle, ‘to run in a winding course,’ crinkle, ‘wrinkle, bend.’ ModHG. Ring and its cognates differ etymologically from Kring. In the allied Aryan languages some connect Lith. gręziù, grężti, ‘to twist, turn,’ with the Aryan root grengh, authenticated by Kring. Gr. βρόχος, ‘noose, cord,’ is scarcely akin.

Kringel, Krengel, m., ‘cracknel,’ dimin. of Kring, or rather Krang; used even in MidHG. as a term in pastry.

Krippe, f., ‘crib,’ from the equiv. MidHG. krippe, OHG. chrippa, f., for chrippja (Goth. *kribjô; for HG. pp. from Goth. bj, comp. further Rippe, Suppe, and üppig); corresponding to OSax. kribbia, kribba, AS. cribb, E. crib. In HG. occurs a variant with pf, which is phonetically obscure, OHG. chripfa, MidHG. and ModHG. kripfe; there are also dial. forms with u in the stem, Swiss krüpfli, LG. krübbe, AS. crybb, Scand. krubba, ‘crib.’ This word, in Goth. uzêta, ‘the thing from which one feeds,’ is connected with MidHG. krëbe, ‘basket’; hence ‘resembling a basket, woven,’ was perhaps the prim. meaning of Krippe. The West Teut. word passed into