An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Kranich

by Friedrich Kluge

Kranich, masculine, from the equivalent Middle High German kranech (kręnich), masculine, Old High German chranuh, chranih (hh), masculine, ‘crane’ (bird); also without the guttural suffix, Middle High German krane, which agrees with the Middle German, Low German, and English forms (Dutch kraan, feminine, ‘crane’ — bird, and then machine; Anglo-Saxon cran and cornuc, English crane in both senses). In the Scandinavian languages, Old Icelandic trane, masculine, ‘crane,’ seems to be connected with these. The suffix ch in Modern High German is Gothic k in ahaks, ‘pigeon,’ Anglo-Saxon hafoc, ‘Habich-t’ (hawk). The corresponding words for ‘crane’ in the other West Aryan languages (primary form ger-w) are the most closely allied — Greek γέρανος, Keltic and Welsh garan; also Old Slovenian žeravĭ, Lithuanian gérwê, feminine, Latin grus (genitive gru-is), corresponds to Old High German chreia, ‘crane.’ The derivation of Greek γέρανος, from γεράσκω, root ger, ‘to grow old,’ as if the crane were remarkable for its great age, is open to objection. Further, the crane is one of the few names of birds (see Drossel) in which several Aryan stems coincide. Compare also Krahn and Krammetsvogel.