kraus (German)
Where does "kraus" come from?
The German adjective 'kraus', meaning 'curly'[1], descends from Middle High German 'krūs', meaning 'frizzy'[1]. This Middle High German term traces back to Proto-Germanic '*kruzlǭ', meaning 'bent or crooked object, curl'[1]. Further back, the root may connect to Proto-Indo-European '*gurus-', meaning 'twist, curl'[1], sharing an origin with Persian 'گورس' ('gors'), meaning 'braid of hair'[1].
Open questions
- The ultimate origin of the Proto-Germanic term is unknown, with a possible connection to Pre-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European roots being uncertain. [1]
Full etymology tree
- kraus (German), 'curly'
- inherited krūs (Middle High German)
- derived *kruzlǭ (Proto-Germanic)
- derived *grus- (Pre-Germanic)
- derived *gurus- (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *grus- (Pre-Germanic)
- derived *kruzlǭ (Proto-Germanic)
- inherited krūs (Middle High German)
Cognates and doublets
- krullen (Dutch)
- curl (English)
- گرس (Persian)
Sources
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris