Where does “milkvetch” come from?

milkvetch (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.

milkvetch (English): Any member of most species of flowering plants of the genus Astragalus

Definitions

  1. Any member of most species of flowering plants of the genus Astragalus

Ancestry of “milkvetch”, step by step

milkvetch 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 vetch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishvetchany of several leguminous plants, of the genus...
2Middle Englishvecche—
3Old Northern Frenchveche—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂melǵ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic meluks →Every word from Proto-West Germanic meluk →