An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/vier

by Friedrich Kluge

vier, numeral, ‘four,’ from the equivalent Middle High German vier, Old High German fior; corresponding to Old Saxon fiwar, Dutch vier, Anglo-Saxon feower, feówer, English four; the Anglo-Saxon variant fyðer- (in compounds) points, like the corresponding Gothic fidwôr ( fidur-), to a primary form detwor, petur, for qetwor, qetur. The latter forms show that Teutonic vier is connected with Latin quattuor, Greek τέσσαρες (πίσυρες), Sanscrit catur, Old Slovenian četyri, ‘four.’ The common Aryan qetur-, ktru-, is also indicated by Modern High German Raute (from hrûdô-, equivalent to krû-tā́, literally ‘quaternity.’ —