An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Zahl

by Friedrich Kluge

Zahl, f., ‘number, figure, cipher,’ from MidHG. zal, f., ‘number, crowd, troop, narrative, speech,’ OHG. zala, f., ‘number’; corresponding to Du. taal, ‘speech,’ AS. talu, E. tale. Allied to zahlen, vb., ‘to count out, pay,’ from MidHG. zaln, OHG. zalôn, ‘to count, reckon, compute’ (OSax. talôn), and zählen, vb., ‘to number, count,’ from MidHG. zęln, OHG. zęllen (from *zaljan), wk. vb., ‘to count, reckon, enumerate, narrate, inform, say.’ Comp. Du. tellen, ‘to count, reckon, have regard to,’ AS. tęllan, E. to tell. From the originally strong verbal root tal, Goth. talzjan, ‘to instruct,’ is also derived. In non-Teut. there is no certain trace of a root dal, ‘to enumerate.’ See Zoll.