An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Klang

by Friedrich Kluge

Klang, masculine, ‘sound, clang,’ from the equivalent Middle High German klanc (genitive klanges), masculine, with the variant klanc (genitive klankes), Old High German chlang; compare Dutch klank, masculine, ‘clang, sound,’ as well as English clank and clang; Anglo-Saxon *clong, *clonc, are wanting, so too Gothic *klaggs and *klagks; compare also Middle High German klunc (klunges), masculine, ‘sound,’ and klinc (klinges), masculine, ‘tone, clangour.’ The form klank with a final k is to be regarded perhaps like falzen compared with falten, Zicke with Ziege, and Kitze with Old Icelandic kið (compare also krank), i.e., k represents kk for Aryan kn; glank (or rather glangh) is perhaps the Aryan root of the Teutonic cognates, unless we are tempted to regard Klang (compare klingen) as a new onomatopoetic word (compare Greek κλαγγή, Latin clangor).