An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Silber

by Friedrich Kluge

Silber, n., ‘silver,’ from the equiv. MidHG. silber, OHG. silbar, earlier silabar, n.; a common Teut. word with corresponding forms; comp. Goth. silubr, AS. seolofer, seolfor, E. silver, Du. zilver, OSax. silaƀar. Tins primit. Teut. term is pre-historically connected (comp. Gold) with the equiv. Slav. cognates, OSlov. sĭrebro, Lith. sidabras. The implied *siloƀro- is certainly not an Aryan word; perhaps the Teutons adopted it in their migration from a non-Aryan tribe and transmitted it to the Slavs. The Lat.-Gr. term argentum, ἄργυρος, seems, like the equiv. Sans. rajatá (in the Vedas silver is unknown), to point to a primit. Aryan term of which Teut. has retained no trace. Another non-Aryan word of prehistoric Teut. is Hanf.