An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Ampfer

by Friedrich Kluge

Ampfer, masculine, ‘sorrel,’ from the equivalent Middle High German ampfer, Old High German ampfaro, masculine; allied to the equivalent Anglo-Saxon ompre; an adjective used as a substantive. Compare Dutch amper, ‘sharp, bitter, unripe,’ Old Swedish amper, ‘sour, bitter,’ Old Icelandic apr (for *ampr), ‘sharp' (chiefly of cold); also Low German ampern, ‘to prove bitter to the taste.’ Sauerampfer (also corrupted to Sauer-ramf) is a tautological compound like Windhund. In case Teutonic ampra-, from *ambro-, represents the properly Aryan *amró-, Sanscrit amlá, ‘sour' (also ‘wood-sorrel'), and Latin amârus, ‘bitter,’ are primitively cognate with this word.