An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/traut

by Friedrich Kluge

traut, adjective, ‘beloved, dear,’ from the equivalent Middle High German and Old High German trût; allied Middle High German trût, masculine and neuter, ‘sweetheart, spouse.’ Since there is no corresponding word in the Teutonic dialects with a Gothic form of the dental, it cannot be decided whether traut must be connected with trauen; in any case, the form and meaning admit of our regarding it as the old to participle (compare laut, falt, zart) of the root trū̆, treu, seen in trauen and treu, so that its literally meaning is ‘one in whom confidence or trust is reposed.’ The borrowed Romance words beginning with d (compare Italian drudo, masculine, ‘lover,’ druda, feminine, ‘mistress,’ drudo, ‘gallant, brave,’ French dru) presuppose a Gothic *drûda-, which could not be from the same root as Gothic trauan, ‘to trust.’ The connection with Gaelic drúth, ‘wanton, pert,’ Welsh drud, ‘bold,’ is obscure; it may be primitively allied (Aryan root dhrū̆).