An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Schienbein

by Friedrich Kluge

Schienbein, neuter, ‘shin-bone,’ from Middle High German schinebein, neuter, allied to Middle High German schine, Old High German scina, feminine, ‘shin-bone’; compare Anglo-Saxon sčinu, feminine, English shin (also Anglo-Saxon sčinebân, Middle English schinebône); Dutch scheen and scheenbeen, ‘shin-bone.’ Bein in this compound has preserved its older meaning of ‘bone’; see Bein. Scarcely allied to Schiene and Schinken, for the secondary meaning of Modern High German Schiene (Middle High German schine), ‘narrow wood or metal plate, strip,’ as well as Old High German scina, ‘needle,’ points to a Gothic *skinô, feminine, ‘narrow piece of bone or metal.’ Of the primitively history of the cognates it can only be said, however, that by inference from Anglo-Saxon scîœ, sceó, ‘shin,’ the root must be skī̆. From Teutonic are derived Italian schiniera, ‘greaves for a horse,’ and probably also Italian schiena, French échine, ‘spine,’ with their Romance cognates.