An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Kirsche

by Friedrich Kluge

Kirsche, feminine, from the equivalent Middle High German kirse, kërse (Alemannian chriesi), feminine, ‘cherry’ (for the change of s into sch compare Arsch and Hirsch). Old High German chirsa (*chirissa), feminine, is certainly not derived from Latin cerasum, but, like the cognate Romance words, from ceręsia (properly neuter plural of the adjective ceraseus?. Compare Greek κεράσιον, ‘cherry,’ κερασία, κερασέα, ‘cherry tree’), only with a Teutonic accent; the Alemannian form Kriese (from the primary form krêsia, which perhaps appears also in Istrian kriss and Servian kriješa), like Kirsche, is based too on the common primitive form with the Romance accent; Middle Latin *cerę́sea (Italian ciregia, French cerise); compare also Old Slovenian črěšĭnja (primitively Slavonic *čers-, from *kers-?). The adoption of the word by High German occurred before the 7th century, as is shown by the preservation of the initial c as k in High German. For a discussion of the period at which the word was borrowed, and of the gender of the Southern terms for fruit, see Pflaume.