An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Kufe
Kufe (1.), feminine, ‘runner of a sledge’; Middle High German *kuofe and *kuoche are wanting with this meaning, so too Old High German *chuofa; Old High German chuohha is found, however, in slito-chôha, ‘runner of a sledge’ (see examples of the interchange of k-ch and p-f under kriechen); compare Middle Low German kôke, ‘runner of a sledge.’ Perhaps Lithuanian żágrė, feminine, ‘forked piece of wood on a plough,’ is allied, and also its cognates żáginýs, masculine, ‘stake, post,’ żágaras, masculine, ‘dry twig.’ From these the evolution of meaning in Kufe may be inferred.
Kufe (2.), feminine, ‘coop, vat,’ from the equivalent Middle High German kuofe, Old High German chuofa, feminine. The primary form of the word previous to the High German permutation of consonants is represented by Old Saxon côpa, feminine, and the equivalent English coop. From Middle Latin côpa, a variant of cûpa, ‘cask,’ whence Dutch kuip, ‘coop’; compare also Kübel. The word must have been borrowed before the 7th century, since it has undergone permutation in High German; perhaps it was introduced with the culture of the vine.