Etymograph

English

milch

Milch comes from Old English *melċe ‘strong accusative feminine singular’, from Proto-Germanic *melkaz ‘milky, milk-giving’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂melǵ-‘to wipe, wipe off, milk’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*melkaz‘milky, milk-giving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*milkijazreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150*melċe‘strong accusative feminine singular’reconstructed
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500milche
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1593milch

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂melǵ-‘to wipe, wipe off, milk’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*melkaz‘milky, milk-giving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*milkijazreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150*melċe‘strong accusative feminine singular’reconstructed
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500milche
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1593milch

Earliest quotation: 1593, William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis: “She wildly breaketh from their strict embrace / Like…”

The story

From Middle English milche, melche, from Old English *melċe, *milċe (attested in þrimilċe, þrimilċemōnaþ), from Proto-Germanic *milkijaz, *melkijaz from Proto-Germanic *melkaz (‘milky, milk-giving’), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ- (‘to wipe, wipe off, milk’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ- ‘to wipe, wipe off, milk’

milk, emulsion, promulgation, 2 more

Today it means

adj Used to produce milk; dairy.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ- / milch

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