An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Krapfen

by Friedrich Kluge

Krapfen (1.), Krappe, m., from the equiv. MidHG. krâpfe (MidG. krâpe), m., ‘a kind of pastry, fritter'; OHG. chrâpfo, m., orig. identical with the following word; so called from the hooked form of the pastry.

Krapfen (2.), m., ‘cramp, hook, dung-fork,’ from MidHG. krâpfe, krâpe, m., ‘hook, cramp,’ OHG. chrâpfo, ‘hook,’ also ‘claw, talon’; the Goth. form. *knêppa is wanting, nor is the word found in the other Teut. languages; before the HG. permutation of consonants it passed in the form grappo, grapo into Rom. (Ital. grappa, ‘cramp, talon,’ Fr. grappin, ‘grapnel’). Comp. further E. craple, ‘claw, talon.’ It is doubtful whether OHG. chrâcho (Goth. krêkka), m., ‘hooked instrument,’ and Scand. kraki, m., ‘stake,’ are allied. The stem of Krapfen appears in a nasal form in OHG. chrampf, ‘curved,’ and OHG. chrampfa, chrampho, m., ‘iron hook’ (comp. Fr. crampon, ‘cramp, borrowed from OHG.). Consequently Krapfen is connected with Krampf.