An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/geheuer

by Friedrich Kluge

geheuer, adjective, ‘secure against anything uncanny,’ from Middle High German gehiure, ‘gentle, graceful, free from anything uncanny’; compare Old High German and Old Saxon unhiuri, ‘dreadful, terrible,’ Anglo-Saxon hŷre (heóre), ‘friendly, mild,’ Old Icelandic hýrr, ‘mild.’ Indubitable cognates in the non-Teutonic languages are wanting; perhaps Sanscrit çakrá, ‘strong’ (of deities) is allied, so that Old High German -hiuri would represent hegwro- (Aryan keqró-).