Etymology

carabiner

ca·ra·bi·ner
C3A1R1A1B3I1N1E1R1

Today it means: A metal link with a gate that can open and close, generally used for clipping ropes to anchors or other objects or for slinging gear (equipment) on one's person. Full definition →

German Karabinerhaken
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The story

  1. German · derived fromKarabinerhaken“carbine hook”
  2. English todaycarabiner

Shortened from German Karabinerhaken (“carbine hook”), reflecting that such a link was used for gear slinging even before it was used for rock climbing.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.