An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Hürde

by Friedrich Kluge

Hürde, f., ‘hurdle,’ from MidHG. hurt, plur. hürte and hürde, f., ‘hurdle, wickerwork,’ OHG. hurt, plur. hurdi, f.; comp. Goth. haúrds, f., ‘door,’ OIc. hurð, f., ‘door’ (this sense is also found in MidHG.), likewise ‘wickerwork, hurdle, lid’; AS. *hyrd, MidE. hyrde, AS. hyrdel, E. hurdle. The meaning ‘door’ is only a development of the general sense ‘wickerwork’'; pre-Tent. krti-. Comp. Lat. crâtes, Gr. κυρτία, ‘wickerwork,’ κύρτη, κύρτος, ‘creel, cage,’ κάρταλος, ‘basket’; allied to the Sans. root kṛt, ‘to spin,’ cṛt, ‘to connect, combine.’