An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Stummel

by Friedrich Kluge

Stummel, m., ‘stump,’ from MidHG. stummel, stumbel, OHG. stumbal, m., ‘piece cut off, stump’; properly an adj. used as a subst., from OHG. stumbal, MidHG. stumbel, ‘mutilated.’ This word is based (like the equiv. OHG. and MidHG. stumpf, adj. and subst.; see Stumpf) on a pre-Teut. root sthmb, ‘to mutilate,’ which appears in Lith. stìmbras, ‘stump,’ stàmbras, stembrýs, and stèmbras, ‘stem, stalk,’ stàmbas, ‘trunk, stump,’ stambùs, ‘coarse.’ — To this verstümmeln, vb., ‘to mutilate,’ from the equiv. MidHG. verstümbelen, OHG. stumbilôn, is allied.