An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/schnarchen

by Friedrich Kluge

schnarchen, verb, ‘to snore, snort,’ from the equivalent Middle High German snarchen, snarcheln; allied to Middle High German snarren, ‘to rattle, crash,’ like hor-chen to hören. Compare Dutch snorken, ‘to snore, chatter, boast’; also Middle English snun-ten, ‘to snore,’ with a different intensive suffix, English to snort (compare Middle High German snar-z, ‘twittering of the swallow,’ also an abusive epithet), and without a suffix Middle English snorin (Anglo-Saxon *snorian), English to snore. From the root snar numerous terms have been formed in imitation of sound (see also schnarren and schnurren); compare Dutch snorren, ‘to hum, whiz, chirp,’ English to snarl, and snurls, ‘nostrils,’ and in the non-Teutonic languages perhaps Lithuanian snarglýs, ‘snot.’