An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Kies
Kies, masculine, ‘gravel,’ from the equivalent Middle High German kis, masculine; Kiesel, ‘pebble,’ from Middle High German kisel, masculine, ‘flint-stone, hailstone, large hailstone’; Old High German chisil, Anglo-Saxon čeosel, Middle English chisel, ‘pebble.’ Gothic *kisuls, masculine, is wanting; this would be a derivative of *kisa-, on which Middle High German kis and Modern High German Kies is probably based. Dutch kei and kiezel points to kī̆ as the stem.