An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/kiesen

by Friedrich Kluge

kiesen, vb., ‘to select,’ from MidHG. kiesen, OHG. chiosan, ‘to test, try, taste for the purpose of testing, test by tasting, select after strict examination.’ Goth. kiusan, AS. ceósan, E. to choose. Teut. root kus (with the change of s into r, kur in the partic. erkoren, see also Kur, ‘choice’), from pre-Teut. gus, in Lat. gus-tus, gus-tare, Gr. γεύω for γεύσω, Ind. root juš, ‘to select, be fond of.’ Teut. kausjun passed as kusiti into Slav.