Where does “milkpox” come from?

milkpox (English) comes from English milk, from Middle English milk, from Old English meolc, from Proto-West Germanic meluk, from Proto-Germanic meluks, from Proto-Indo-European h₂melǵ- — to milk; milk.

milkpox (English): A milder form of smallpox; alastrim

Definitions

  1. A milder form of smallpox; alastrim

Ancestry of “milkpox”, step by step

milkpox traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English milk

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmilkA white liquid produced by the mammary glands of...
2Middle Englishmilkmilk
3Old Englishmeolcmilk
4Proto-West Germanicmelukmilk
5Proto-Germanicmeluksmilk
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂melǵ-to milk; milk

via English pox

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpoxA disease characterized by purulent skin...
2Middle Englishpocke—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂melǵ- →