An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Hake

by Friedrich Kluge

Hake, Hahen, masculine, ‘hook, clasp,’ from Middle High German hâke, hâken, masculine, Old High German hâko, hâcko, masculine, ‘hook.’ The High German k can neither be Gothic k nor Gothic g; the former would be changed into ch, the latter would remain unchanged. The variants Old High German hâgo, hâggo, Middle High German hâgge, point to Gothic *hêgga, neuter, ‘hook’ (compare Raupe, Schuppe). Curiously, however, the corresponding words of the cognate dialects have k and are graded: Anglo-Saxon hôc, masculine, ‘hook,’ English hook, Middle Dutch hoek, ‘hook’; compare also Dutch haak, Anglo-Saxon hăca, Old Icelandic hăke, masculine, ‘hook.’ The relations of the gutturals (especially of the gg) are still obscure; compare also Kluppe, Schuppe, Kautz, Schnauze. A typical form is wanting. It it is impossible to connect the word hangen, Gothic hâhan (for hanhan); it ia more probably related to Hechel and Hecht.