An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Winter

by Friedrich Kluge

Winter, masculine, ‘winter,’ from the equivalent Middle High German winter, Old High German wintar, masculine; a common Teutonic term, wanting in the other Aryan languages. Compare Gothic wintrus, Anglo-Saxon and English winter, Old Saxon wintar. The allied languages used a stem ghī̆m (ghiem); compare Latin hiems, Greek χειμών, Old Slovenian and Zend zima, Sanscrit hêmanta (also in the Lex Salica ingimus, ‘anniculus’). These Aryan cognates, which may also signify ‘snow’ and ‘storm’ (compare Greek χεῖμα, ‘storm’), cannot, for phonological reasons, be allied to the Teutonic group. They suggest, however, a connection between Winter and Wind; yet the Teutonic bases wintru- and windo- do not agree phonologically. Perhaps those are right who regard Winter as the ‘white period,’ referring it to Old Gallic vindo-, ‘white’ as in Vindo-bona, Vindo-magus, Vindo-nissa); compare Old Irish find, ‘white.’ In the Old Teutonic languages Winter also signifies ‘year,’ which is still retained in the Modern High German dialectic Einwinter, ‘yearling kid, steer’ (Anglo-Saxon œ̂netre, ‘of one year’).