The German word Stauf was used in the Middle Ages up to the beginning of the modern times to indicate a measure of capacity for liquids, which adhered to variable volumes in diverse regions and different periods of time.
The German dictionary (German: Deutsches Wörterbuch) of the Grimm Brothers (German: Brüder Grimm) provides two meanings for the expressions Stauf or Staufen in this context. It was used as a measure of capacity, as well as to name a drinking vessel. However, it is assumed that both meanings correlated with each other.
The German expression Stauf (Old High German: stouf, stauf(f), stouph) was used to indicate a more capacious drinking cup and became later on a synonym for goblet, chalice, jar and tankard. It is derived from the word *staupa, stemming from the old, then common Germanic language (see below), which was replaced by the loanwords cup (German: Becher) and chalice (German: Kelch) after a while. Apparently, the metallic drinking device called Stauf was originally a beaker and thus not provided with a foot. Yet, this word was then passed on to define other vessels like wooden buckets or containers used for milking.[1]
It is quite obvious that a Stauf was not a suitable drinking cup for one person. Yet, its use as decorative vessel on special occasions is mentionend several times.
As measuring unit a Stauf, also written Stauff (Low-German: Stoff,[2] Swedish: Stop, Icelandic: Staupa, Anglo-Saxon: Stoppa), corresponded in some regions to one Stuebchen (German: Stübchen). In itself this unit correlated to about 3.7 litres when it came to beer (German: Bier) in German-speaking areas. Depending on the regions where it was used, a Stauf respectively a Stuebchen was about the 40th to 45th part of one ohm (one ohm = circa 134 to 174.75 litres).[3] If calculated in Maas when used for beer, this measure resulted in about four Maas, which then were about 4.3 litres (referring to the Bavarian Maas). Corresponding to wine (German: Wein) as well as firewater (German: Branntwein) one Stauf was about 3.3 litres.[1]
When Rudolf I of Germany came to power (1273), one Stauf was then apparently reduced to one quarter. This means that the measuring unit started to correspond to more or less one litre (German: Liter) still in use today, depending on the regions applying it. One Stauf then was 0.825 up to more than one litre respectively one Maas, considering the liquid measured.[1]
The German Dictionary of the Grimm Brothers also provides further entries for the expressions Stauf or Staufen which were sporadically in use. Examples in this context are (German) stauchen = to compress, (German) niederdrücken = to press down and (German) stauen = to retain.[4]
Gerhard Köbler sees the origin of this expression in the originally Germanic words *staupa- and *staupaz, meaning steep (German: steil), elevated (German: hoch), towering (German: aufragend) in Old English: stéap, which expresses the same, as well as in Old High German: stoufi*, in the sense of steep (German: steil) and precipitous (German: abschüssig).[5]
