An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/darben

by Friedrich Kluge

darben, verb, ‘to suffix want, famish,’ from Middle High German darben, Old High German darbên, ‘to dispense with, be deficient’; corresponds to Gothic gaþarban, ‘to abstain from’; Anglo-Saxon þearfan, ‘to be in need of.’ The verb is derived from the same root (þerf) as dürfen which see; its primary meaning is ‘to be in need of.’