Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/221

---

and kühn. For other partics. formed into adjs. see under laut.

Kunft, f., ‘arrival,’ from MidHG. and OHG. kunft, kumft, f., ‘coming, arrival’; comp. Goth. gaqumþs, f., ‘meeting, assembly,’ the corresponding verbal abstract to Goth. qiman, HG. kommen, with the suffix þi-, from -ti- (comp. Schuld, Durſt, and Gift). The insertion of an f in the combination mþ (mfþ becoming mft; comp. further Vernunft, Zunft, Ramft) corresponds to the addition of an s to nþ (nsþ becoming nst), mentioned under Kunst. —

künftig, adj., ‘to come, future,’ from the equiv. MidHG. kümftec, OHG. kumftîg.

Kunkel, f., ‘distaff,’ from the equiv. MidHG. kunkel, f., OHG. chunchala, f.; a Suab., Alem., and Rhen. word, for which Rocken occurs in other dials. (Bav. and also MidG.). It is wanting in the remaining OTeut. dials., and its diffusion supports the assumption that it has been borrowed from Rom., especially since the earlier OHG. form chonachla closely resembles the equiv. Rom. words in sound; MidLat. conucla (for colucula?, dimin. of colus, ‘distaff’?), equiv. to Ital. conocchia, Fr. quenouille, ‘distaff,’ whence also the equiv. OIr. cuicel. Others refer the word to the cognates discussed under Kaufer, with the prim. meaning ‘to spin.’

Kunſt, f., ‘skill, art, address,’ from MidHG. and OHG. kunst, f., ‘knowledge, wisdom, skill, art’; comp. OSax. cunsti, plur., ‘knowledge, wisdom,’ Du. kunst; wanting in E. and Goth. A verbal abstract from können, like Kunft from kommen; s is a euphonic insertion before the dental; comp. Brunſt from brennen, Gunſt from gönnen.

kunterbunt, adj., ‘higgledy-piggledy,’ ModHG. only; in MidHG., however, kuntervêch, adj., which means ‘variegated, strange as a Kunter,’ i.e. ‘monster’. But while MidHG. kunter, ‘monster,’ and OHG. chuntar, ‘herd, drove of cattle’ (cognate with OSlov. ženą, Lith. genù, ‘I drive cattle’?), are UpG., kunterbunt is prop. LG. Both MidHG. kuntervêch and ModHG. kunterbunt are imitations of MidHG. kunterfeit, lit. ‘contrafactus, not genuine’; from this in MidHG. (MidG.) a word kunter, ‘what is false, deceptive,’ was deduced.

Kupfer, n., ‘copper,’ from the equiv. MidHG. kupfer, OHG. chupfar, n.; an old loan-word from which *kuppor must have been the earliest form; the word was bor-

rowed before the 7th cent.; comp. Du. and MidLG. koper, AS. copor, E. copper, Scand. kopar. These are probably based on MidLat. cuper (gen. -eris). Late Lat. cuprum, or rather œs cyprium, or simply cyprium (whence Fr. cuivre), is an Italian (not a Greek) term; the Teuts. probably owe to the Italians their earliest knowledge of copper. The island of Cyprus was called Kipper by the Germans of the Middle Ages, following the Byzant. and ModGr. pronunciation of Κύπρος; hence MidHG. kippor or kipperwîn, ‘Cyprian wine.’

Kuppe, f., ‘peak, summit,’ adopted by the written language in the last century from MidHG.; in HG. the form would have pf. Koppe and Kuppe, as well as Kaupe (‘crest of birds,’ also termed Koppe, comp. OSax. coppod, ‘cristatus’ of snakes, under Kopf), are allied words, with the prim. meaning ‘point, extreme end,’ which belonged orig. to the strictly HG. permutated form Kopf. The further history of all these terms is obscure; under Kopf it is assumed that they are of genuine Teut. origin, though the possibility of their being blended with MidLat. and Rom. cupa, ‘beaker,’ is granted. In MidHG. kuppe, f. OHG. chuppa, f., means ‘covering for the head’ (espec. under the helmet); see Kopf.

Kuppel, f., ‘cupola, dome,’ ModHG. only, from Ital. cupola (Fr. coupole).

Kuppeln, vb., ‘to couple, fence (a field),’ from MidHG. kuppeln, koppeln, ‘to leash, bind, fetter, unite’; MidHG. kuppelspil, ‘coupling,’ kuppelœre, ‘match-maker, procurer,’ and kuppelœrinne, the fem. form; a deriv. of Koppel, Lat. copulare.

Kur, Chur, f., ‘election,’ in Kurfürſt connected with erkoren, erkieſen; MidHG. kür, küre, f. (MidG. kur, kure, without modification), ‘consideration, selection,’ espec. ‘election of a king’ (MidHG. kür-, kurvürste, MidG. korvürste, ‘Elector’); OHG. churi, f., is preserved in HG. Willfür in the regularly mutated form. AS. cyre, m., ‘choice’; Scand. kør, keyr, n., ‘choice.’ See kieſen.

Kurbe, Kurbel, f., ‘crank, winch,’ from MidHG. kurbe, OHG. churba, f., ‘windlass over a well’; generally traced to Fr. courbe, and further to Lat. *curva, ‘bent piece of wood,’ from curvus.

Kürbis, m., ‘gourd, pumpkin,’ from the equiv. MidHG. kürbeȥ, kürbiȥ, OHG. churbiȥ, m. (rarely f.); borrowed previous