An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Epheu
Epheu, masculine, ‘ivy,’ from the equivalent Middle High German ëphöu, ëbehöu, Old High German ëbahęwi, neuter; even at the present day the word is pronounced Ep-heu in Upper German dialects (Franconian, Suabian, and Alemannian), partly corrupted to Räb-heu, while the Modern High German pronunciation has been influenced by the written language. Of course it is impossible to say positively whether Heu is to be regarded as the second component, especially as the other forms are difficult to explain. Old High German has also ëbawi, ëbah, Anglo-Saxon îfig, English ivy, Middle Low German îflôf, îwlôf, Dutch eiloof, ‘ivy.’ The base of the cognates seems to be a common Teutonic ī̆ba-; yet no definitive clue can be found.