An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Schierling

by Friedrich Kluge

Schierling, masculine, ‘hemlock,’ from the equivalent Middle High German schirlinc, schęrlinc (genitive -ges), Old High German scęriling; compare Dutch scheerling. Derived, like the variants Middle High German schęrninc, Old High German and Old Low German scęrning, ‘hemlock,’ from the equivalent Old High German scarno, masculine; the l of the Old High German, Middle High German, and Modern High German forms is due to the current German suffix -ling. The term is unknown to the other Old Teutonic dialects (in Anglo-Saxon hymlic, hemleác occur, English hemlock).