Etymology

From late Middle High German gūpe. Further origin unsettled. Since the word is apparently from Rhine Franconian dialects, identity with Kuppe (“top, knoll”, itself also a Central German form) is possible. The long vowel is problematic, however, though it might be due to conflation with a related word; compare Dutch kuif ‎(“quiff, tuft of hair sticking out”), Old Norse kúfr ‎(“knoll”). Alternatively, possibly from a group of dialectal words for “to look”, which may be related with gucken.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈgaʊ̯bə/