An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Eis

by Friedrich Kluge

Eis, n., ‘ice,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. îs, n.; a word common to Teut.; comp. Du. ijs, AS. îs, E. ice, OIc. íss, ‘ice’ (Goth. *eisa is by chance not recorded). Outside the Teut. group no term identical with this can be found. It is still undecided whether it is cognate with Eisen (root ī̆s ‘to shine’?) or with Zend isi (‘ice’?).