An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Hunger

by Friedrich Kluge

Hunger, masculine, ‘hunger, famine,’ from the equivalent Middle High German hunger, Old High German hungar, masculine; compare Old Saxon hungar, Anglo-Saxon hungor, masculine, English hunger, Old Icelandic hungr, masculine; Gothic *huggrus is wanting (it is indicated by huggrjan, ‘to hunger’), but the term hûhrus (for huñhrus, hunhrus), masculine, occurs; common Teutonic hunhru-, hungru-, ‘hunger,’ from pre-Teutonic knkru-?. The Greek gloss, κέγκεϊ πεινᾷ, points to an Aryan root, kenk, konk; compare also Lithuanian kankà, ‘torment,’ with Old Icelandic há, verb, ‘to torment, pain’ (from Teutonic *hanhón).