An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/hinken

by Friedrich Kluge

Hinken, vb., ‘to limp, walk lame, fit badly,’ from the equiv. MidHG. hinken, OHG. hinchan; a word peculiar to HG., if Scand. hokra, ‘to crawl,’ is not connected with it (AS. hęllehinca, ‘devil,’ is found). Root hink, from Aryan kheng (kh as in haben, from the root khabh, in Lat. habere; comp. farther Nagel), based on the Sans. root khañj, ‘to lump’; allied also to the equiv. Gr. σκάζω for s-khṅgjô, with s prefixed.