Where does “melkslang” come from?

melkslang (Dutch) comes from Dutch Slang, from English slang, from English sling, from English spiderling, from English Ling, from Middle English ling, from Old Norse lyng, from Proto-Germanic lingwą — light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,...

melkslang (Dutch): milk snake

Definitions

  1. milk snake

Ancestry of “melkslang”, step by step

melkslang traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch Slang

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1DutchSlangSerpens
2EnglishslangLanguage outside of conventional usage and in the...
3EnglishslingTo throw with a circular or arcing motion; To...
4EnglishspiderlingAn immature spider; Any of various herbaceous...
5EnglishLingAny of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae
6Middle EnglishlingAny of various varieties of heather or broom
7Old Norselyngheather, ling
8Proto-Germaniclingwąheather, ling
9Proto-Indo-Europeanlengʷʰom
10Proto-Indo-Europeanlengʷʰ-light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,...

via Dutch melk

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchmelkmilk; Various resembling 'milky' juices, as...
2Middle Dutchmelcmilk
3Old Dutchmiluk
4Proto-West Germanicmelukmilk
5Proto-Germanicmeluksmilk
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂melǵ-to milk; milk
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lengʷʰ-