The Deutsches Wörterbuch (”German dictionary”) is still considered the standard reference for German etymology. It was started by the Grimm Brothers in 1838 and the first major step in creating a standardized German language since Martin Luther’s translation of the Bible to German.
When the project finally was finished in 1961, the dictionary contains 32 volumes and includes about 350,000 main entries.
Editions: Grimm, Jacob / Grimm, Wilhelm: Deutsches Wörterbuch

• original: Hirzel, ISBN 978-3-7401-0000-1, 4990 €
• paperback reprint: dtv, ISBN 978-3-423-59045-7, 499 €
• CD-ROM: Zweitausendeins, ISBN 978-3-86150-639-3, 49,90 €
• online: Universität Trier, DBW-Online, free

 

Text also available in: German