An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Hals

by Friedrich Kluge

Hals, masculine, ‘neck,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German hals, masculine; corresponding to Old Saxon and Dutch hals, Anglo-Saxon heals (English to halse, ‘embrace,’ but now antiquated; the modern word is neck), Old Icelandic hals, masculine, ‘neck,’ Gothic hals (genitive halsis), masculine; all point to a common Teutonic masculine, halsa-. Primit. allied to Latin collum for *colsum, neuter, ‘neck’ (Old Latin also collus, masculine); compare also Greek κλοιός, ‘collar’ (from *κλοσιός)?. Whether Latin excello, excelsus, are also primitively allied (Hals, literally ‘prominent part of the body’) remains uncertain. From Teutonic is derived French haubert, Old French halberc, ‘hauberk,’ from hals-bërg(a). —