chucrut (Spanish)
Where does "chucrut" come from?
The Spanish word 'chucrut' was borrowed from the French 'choucroute,' which originated from the Alsatian German term 'surkrut.' Through a classic case of folk etymology, French speakers mistakenly linked the first syllable to 'chou' (cabbage), effectively leading to a redundant name that translates literally to 'cabbage-cabbage.'
Full etymology tree
- chucrut (Spanish), 'sauerkraut'
- borrowed choucroute (French), 'sauerkraut (a dish made by fermenting finely chopped cabbage)'
- inherited surkrut (Alsatian Alemannic)
- inherited Sauerkraut (German), 'sauerkraut'
- compound sauer (German), 'sour; acid; acidic'
- compound Kraut (German), 'herb; useful plant (plant used to flavour food, or for medicinal effect)'
- inherited krūt (Middle High German)
- inherited krūt (Old High German)
- inherited *krūd (Proto-West Germanic), 'herb, plant'
- inherited krūt (Old High German)
- inherited krūt (Middle High German)
- inherited Sauerkraut (German), 'sauerkraut'
- influence chou (French), 'cabbage'
- inherited chous (Old French)
- inherited caulis (Latin), 'stalk, stem'
- inherited καυλός (kaulós) (Ancient Greek), 'stem, stalk'
- inherited caulis (Latin), 'stalk, stem'
- inherited chous (Old French)
- inherited surkrut (Alsatian Alemannic)
- borrowed choucroute (French), 'sauerkraut (a dish made by fermenting finely chopped cabbage)'
Ancestors
- choucroute (French)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris