Ferkel

Etymology
From, from , , diminutive of , from , whence.

The -k- has been explained as an irregular fortition of -h-, which would be plausible if the form were of Upper German origin, where -h- was strong and where there was dialectal variation between -rch- and -rk-. However, is first found in West Central German along the Rhine, where stem-internal -h- had been lost early on (compare accordingly ). It therefore seems at least equally probable that the -k- is due to influence by a related Rhenish word for “pig, piglet”, still found today in Ripuarian, which goes back to a (compare 🇨🇬, , whence modern 🇨🇬), from , another diminutive of.

Noun

 * 1) piglet; a young/immature pig
 * 2)  A dirty or contemptible person