An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/kaufen

by Friedrich Kluge

kaufen, vb., ‘to buy,’ from MidHG. koufen, OHG. choufôn. The meaning in OHG. and MidHG. is somewhat more general, ‘to trade, negotiate,’ specially also ‘to buy, sell, or to barter.’ Comp. Goth. kaupôn, ‘to trade,’ AS. čŷpan (Goth. *kaupjan), ‘to buy, sell.’ The word has numerous interesting meanings; its primary sense is ‘to barter,’ and was used by the parties on either side, and hence on the development of the system of paying in specie it signified both ‘to buy’ and ‘to sell’; comp. also AS. ceáp, ‘trade, business, cattle’ (cattle was, in fact, the chief medium of payment in exchange; comp. Geld and Vieh). It is most closely allied to Lat. caupo, ‘retail dealer, innkeeper,’ and in connection with this fact it is certainly remarkable that a nomen agentis corresponding to Lat. caupo is far less widely diffused than the Teut. vb. kaupôn (only in OHG. does choufo mean ‘shopkeeper’). The Teut. vb. in the form of kupiti, ‘to buy’ (allied to kupŭ, ‘trade,’ kupĭcĭ, merchant,’ Lith. kùpezus, ‘merchant’), passed into prim. Slav. and Finn. (kauppata, ‘to trade’). The cognates are wanting in Rom. (comp. Kaiser). — The ModHG. Kauf is OHG. chouf, m., ‘trade, business’; AS. čeáp, ‘trade’; in E. the cognates cheap and chapman have been retained.