Can someone explain the etymology of “Krauthammer”. Google Translate tells me that Kraut translates to herb or cabbage. And the German Hammer translates to, well, hammer.
Does Charles’s last name really translate to “cabbage hammer”? What’s up with this?
Does Charles’s last name really translate to “cabbage hammer”? What’s up with this? <<
It means he whacks his radish...
“Heimer” often corrupts to “hammer” in the US. I’m acquainted with a family that settled locally by the name of “Bodenhammer” but some still spell it accurately, “Bodenheimer.” The “heimer” suffix means an ancestor is from that “heim,” i.e. Boden as in the previous example, so I suppose Krauthammer’s ancestors are from Kraut, although that doesn’t sound right it’s correct etymology.
Here’s a possibility. In making home-made sauerkraut, a tool called a stomper is used to tenderize the cabbage, releasing its juices, and to pack it into the crock or other vessel for fermenting/curing. THAT might be the origin of “krauthammer”.