An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/übel

by Friedrich Kluge

übel, adj., ‘evil, bad, wrong; sick,’ from MidHG. übel, OHG. ubil, ‘bad, wicked’; a common Teut. adj. corresponding to OSax. uƀil, Du. euvel. AS. yfel, E. evil, Goth. ubils, ‘bad.’ With these are connected OHG. uppi (from Teut. ubjo-), ‘vicious, malignant; villain,’ as well as the cognates of ModHG. üppig. The word has been supposed to be related to the prepos. über (Aryan upérî), so that Teut. uƀilo-, from upelo-, meant lit. ‘that which oversteps a limit or is contrary to rule.’ Nothing positive, however, can be asserted, since the word is specifically Teut.; or is OIr. uall, ‘pride,’ cognate?.