There is widely heldmyth about the etymology ofpinscher dog breeds, that the word comes from the GermanPinscher (de:Pinscher), and that in German it meansbiter.

Another idea indicates the reverse, that the German word is taken from the English word, which refers to the ears of the breeds which are oftendocked, perOnline Etymology Dictionary. I doubt that this is correct.

Yet another hypothesis holds that the German word is either taken from the English wordpinch or the French wordpincer (fr:pincer). It describes the restrained biting action that the dogs use when catching rodents or biting people. See the German Wikipedia onPinscher breeds. This seems most likely to me, but my opinion is pointless here if this receives input from a native German speaking person. ~ heyzeuss04:26, 11 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

OED revised the entry in last March: "< German Pinscher (a1832), of uncertain origin.

A derivation [from] Pinzgau, the name of a region in north-western Austria, has been suggested, although this cannot be confirmed (compare German-er [link to entry def.]).

An alternative suggestion links the term with PINCH v., on account of the dog's clipped ears and tail, but this seems unlikely as there is no parallel for the dog's name in English."

Circeus21:06, 5 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

• Wiktionary-namespace discussion pages