Where does “mælkevej” come from?

mælkevej (Danish) comes from Latin Via Lactea, from Latin viā, from Proto-Italic *wiā, from Proto-Indo-European wih₁eh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.

mælkevej (Danish): galaxy collection of billions of stars

Definitions

  1. galaxy collection of billions of stars

Ancestry of “mælkevej”, step by step

mælkevej traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin Via Lactea

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinVia Lacteathe Milky Way
2Latinviāroad, street, path
3Proto-Italic*wiāroad
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwih₁eh₂-
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

via Danish vej

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Danishvejroad; way; route
2Old Norsevegrway, road; honour, distinction;...
3Proto-Germanicwēgazwave; sea
4Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport

via Danish mælk

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Danishmælkmilk; milt, roe; imperative of mælke
2Old Norsemjǫlkmilk
3Proto-Germanicmeluksmilk
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂melǵ-to milk; milk
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁-