An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Laube

by Friedrich Kluge

Laube, feminine, ‘arbour, bower,’ from Middle High German loube (löube), feminine, ‘porch, market, court of justice, gallery round the upper storey of a house,’ Old High German louba (louppea), feminine, ‘penthouse, hall, front building’ (the mutated läube is met with in Middle German dialects; compare Low German löve). The Old Icelandic lopt, ‘upper storey, balcony’ (whence English loft), is probably connected with this word. The Modern High German meaning, ‘arbour,’ wanting in Middle High German and Old High German, is due to the term being popularly connected with Laub. The Old High German word passed in the form of Middle Latin into Romance (Italian loggia, French loge, ‘hut, tent, tier of boxes’).