Overview
Kraut is a German word recorded in English from 1918 onwards as an ethnic slur for a German, particularly a German soldier during World War I and World War II. Its earlier meaning in English was as a synonym for sauerkraut, a traditional Central and Eastern European food.
Etymological foundations
In German, the term means "herb", or designates the leaves and stem of a plant as opposed to the root. The term is more often used in compound nouns for herbs, and also for cabbage and cabbage products:
Weißkraut = white cabbage (also called Weißkohl)
Blaukraut or Rotkraut = red cabbage (also called Rotkohl)
Sauerkraut = fermented white cabbage or 'sour cabbage'
Unkraut = weed
Bohnenkraut = savory
Rübenkraut = thick sugar beet syrup
The plural Kräuter is commonly used (herbs, weeds) when talking about spices, but is often replaced by Gewürz which can refer to any spice.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).