An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Schnepfe

by Friedrich Kluge

Schnepfe, feminine, ‘snipe,’ from the equivalent Middle High German snëpfe, masculine, Old High German snëpfo, masculine, snëpfa, feminine; compare Dutch snep, Middle English snîpe, English snipe, from the root snī̆pp. Also Anglo-Saxon snîte, English snite?. The High German word passed as sgneppa into the Italian dialects. The origin of the cognates is obscure.