Where does “mladíček” come from?

mladíček (Czech) comes from Czech mladík, from Czech mladý, from Old Czech mladý, from Proto-Slavic moldъ, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dus, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld- — to soften, to melt.

Ancestry of “mladíček”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Czechmladíkyouth
2Czechmladýyoung
3Old Czechmladýyoung
4Proto-Slavicmoldъyoung
5Proto-Indo-European*ml̥dussoft, weak
6Proto-Indo-European(s)meld-to soften, to melt
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dus →Every word from Proto-Slavic moldъ →