An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Holunder

by Friedrich Kluge

Holunder, masculine, from the equivalent Middle High German holunder, holder, Old High German holantar, holuntar, masculine, ‘elder’; for Old High German -tar as a suffix see Wachholder, Maßholder. Its relation to the equivalent Anglo-Saxon ellen, English elder, is dubious. It is most closely allied to the equivalent Russian kalína.