An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Tappe

by Friedrich Kluge

Tappe, feminine (in Swabian and Alemannian Dopen, masculine), ‘claw, paw,’ from the equivalent Middle High German *tā̆ppe (only tâpe is recorded), feminine; origin and early history obscure. To this is allied Modern High German täppisch, adjective, ‘awkward, clumsy,’ since Middle High German tappe (tâpe) occurs also as ‘uncouth, loutish person’; hence also Modern High German tappen, verb, ‘to flounder along, grope one's way,’ literally ‘to behave awkwardly.