German Speakers

[bainbrig]

What’s the etymology of ‘stollen’, as in the Christmas cake?

Thanks.

BillB

[jourdain2]

Well, I know what a 'Stollen' is (very tasty) and I speak (rusty) German. I am, however, baffled and the dictionary has not helped. For some reason the word 'log' comes to mind. This is no help whatsoever, sorry - but I'm trying. You need Khandro, who lives there and is fluent.

[Mamyalynne]

Origin and Etymology of stollen
German, literally, post, support, from Old High German stollo — more at stela

Stela
Origin and Etymology of stela
Latin & Greek; Latin stela, from Greek stēlē; akin to Old High German stollo pillar, Greek stellein to set up

[Buenchico]

From Webster:
" Origin and Etymology of stollen: German, literally, post, support, from Old High German stollo"

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stollen

[Buenchico]

From a German source:
" Stollen m. ‘in einen Berg getriebener waagerechter Gang, brotförmiges Weihnachtsgebäck’, in älterer Sprache ‘Stütze, Pfosten, Säule’, ahd. stollo ‘Stütze, Pfosten’ (9. Jh.), mhd. stolle ‘Stütze, Gestell, Pfosten, Fuß, hervorragender Teil, Spitze’, (in der Bergmannssprache) ‘waagerechter Gang’, nhd. (mit Endungs-n aus den obliquen Kasus) Stollen, asächs. stollo ‘Gestell’, mnd. stolle ‘ waagerechter Erzgang’ ist verwandt mit griech. stḗlē (στήλη) ‘Säule, Strebepfosten’ und steht ablautend mit (zu -ll- assimiliertem) n-Suffix wie ↗Stall (s. d.) zur Wurzel ie. *stel- ‘stellen, aufstellen; stehend, unbeweglich, steif; Ständer, Pfosten, Stamm, Stiel’. Ausgehend von ‘tragender, stützender Pfosten’ (zur Absteifung der Grubendecke), entwickelt sich ‘vorgetriebener unterirdischer Gang’ (13. Jh., in der Bergmannssprache); aus dem Vergleich mit einem Pfosten, Klotz stammt die Verwendung des Wortes für ‘großer, brotförmiger Kuchen, Weihnachtsgebäck’ (18. Jh.), zuerst (wohl unter Einfluß von fem. Semmel) Stolle f

. . . which Google translates as:
"Stollen m. stollo 'support, post' (9th c.), mhd. stolle 'support, frame, post, foot,' in a mountain driven horizontal course, bread-shaped Christmas cookies', in older language 'support, pillar, pillar' excellent part 'tip', (in the miner's language) 'horizontal gait', nhd. (with ending n from the oblique case) studs, asächs. stollo 'frame', mnd. stolle 'horizontal vein' is related to the Greek stḗlē (στήλη) 'pillar' and stands in the ablaut with (to -ll-assimilated) n-suffix like ↗Stall (see d.) to the root ie. * set, set up; standing, motionless, stiff; Stand, pole, trunk, stalk '. Starting from 'supporting, supportive posts' (to reinforce the pit ceiling), develops a 'subterranean passage' (13th century, in the miner's language); from the comparison with a post, Klotz comes the use of the word for 'large, bread-shaped cake, Christmas biscuits' (18th century), first (probably under the influence of fem. Semmel) Stolle f. (14th century, omd.)"

Source:
https://www.dwds.de/wb/Stollen

[bainbrig]

So, isit because a Stollen resembles a pillar?

[retrocop]

Vell if you get von big enough it could resemble a pillow! :-)

[Mamyalynne]

That seems to be it BB, yes.

[Peter Pedant]

yeah I would agree that stollen pretty obviously comes from stele Gk

It was the german based philologists C19 who noticed the resemblance for German to the Indian Languages

[Ellipsis]

Either that or it's because it supports you ...

[Peter Pedant]

// Origin: Latin stela from Greek stēlē, post, slab from Indo-European base *stel- derives "still".//

still isnt really a column - but still, it distils what I was saying

[goodgoalie]

Been watching The Chase?