Where does “milk” come from?

Milk comes from Old English melcan, from Proto-Germanic melkaną, from Proto-Indo-European h₂melǵ-, meaning to milk or extract milk.

milk (English): A white liquid produced by the mammary glands of...

Definitions

  1. A white liquid produced by the mammary glands of...

Ancestry of “milk”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmilkmilk
2Old Englishmeolcmilk
3Proto-West Germanicmelukmilk
4Proto-Germanicmeluksmilk
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂melǵ-to milk; milk

Words derived from “milk

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂melǵ-