An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/kauen

by Friedrich Kluge

kauen, verb, ‘to chew,’ from the equivalent Middle High German kûwen, kiuwen, Old High German chiuwan; Modern High German au and Middle High German û in this word compared with äu in wiederkäuen is properly Middle German merely. It corresponds to Anglo-Saxon ceóuwan, English to chew, and the equivalent Dutch kaauwen. The verb, which is based on a Teutonic root këw, ku, pre-Teutonic gew, is wanting in Gothic; compare Old Slovenian žĭvą, žują, žĭvati, ‘to chew.’ The Aryan root is gjū̆, gī̆w, ‘to chew’; see Rieme. Greek γεύομαι for γεύσομας is totally unconnected with High German kauen, being allied to kosten.