Partly from Middle High German esch, ezzisch, from Old High German ezzisc, and partly from Middle Low German esch, *etsch, from Old Saxon etisk, all from Proto-Germanic *atiska- (“grainfield”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *h₂edos- (“sort of cereal, grain”), related to Latin ador (“spelt”), Hittite [script needed] (ḫattāi-, “to cut (grain)”).
Cognate with Middle Dutch esch, Gothic 𐌰𐍄𐌹𐍃𐌺 (atisk).