An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/schnüffeln

by Friedrich Kluge

schnüffeln, verb, ‘to sniff, smell,’ Modern High German only, formed from Low German and Dutch snuffelen, ‘to smell,’ allied to Dutch snuf, ‘scenting’; compare English to snuff, sniff, to snivel (also the substantive snivel, Anglo-Saxon snofl); see the following word.