KLUGE: Etymological Dictionary of the German Language with 13,000 Words

First published in 1883, the KLUGE etymological dictionary traces the origin and historical development of approximately 13,000 German words and loanwords. It is a continuously updated reference work that includes a bibliography and an introduction to historical vocabulary research. The eBookPlus version offers search capabilities by headword, century of first documentation, and full text.

Use Cases

• Historical linguistic analysis based on documented word origins and semantic shifts.
• Researching loanword integration into German based on entries for foreign-origin words.
• Studying language change over time based on the century of first documentation for words.
• Creating educational resources on German etymology based on the dictionary's structured entries.

Strengths

• Covers approximately 13,000 German words and loanwords.
• Continuously updated since its first edition in 1883, representing current linguistic research.
• Includes a bibliography and an introduction to historical vocabulary terminology.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

paperswithcode

Time Range

First documentation from 1883 onward, with continuous updates.

Geography

German language vocabulary.