An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Zunft

by Friedrich Kluge

Zunft, feminine, ‘guild, corporation, club, sect,’ from Middle High German zunft, zumft, Old High German zumft, feminine, ‘propriety, rule, law; society governed by certain rules, union, association,’ guild’; allied to ziemen. Old High German zumft is derived from zëman, ‘to be proper,’ by means of the -ti (Gothic -þi), which forms verbal abstracts; for the intrusion of an f in the combination mt, compare Kunft, Nunft, and Ramft. Hence the original meaning of Zunft is ‘suitability, propriety, that which is becoming or according to law.’ For the development of meaning compare Gilde, derived from Low German.