An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/laufen

by Friedrich Kluge

laufen, verb, ‘to run,’ from the equivalent Middle High German loufen, Old High German louffun, strong verb; from an earlier hlauffan, equivalent to Gothic hlaupan, ‘to run.’ It corresponds to Anglo-Saxon hleápan, strong verb, ‘to run, leap, dance,’ English to leap, Dutch loopen, Old Icelandic hlaupa; a specifically Teutonic word common to all the dialects. For the primary meaning we have absolutely no clue (Greek κραιπνός, ‘swift,’ is not allied to Gothic hlaupan, which may be preferably compared with Lithuanian klupti, ‘to stumble’). The Teutonic root hlaup has a collateral form hlŭp, by gradation hlŏp (Middle High German and Modern High German dialectic geloffen, participle), of which a variant hlaubt appears in Swiss lôpen, ‘to run’ (compare hüpfen, Bavarian hoppen). Modern High German Lauft, plural Läufte, masculine, from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German louft, masculine, ‘course (of time),’ (Middle High German plural löufte, ‘conjunctures’).