Where does “she-male” come from?

she-male (English) comes from English Malé, from Middle English mele, from Old English melu, from Proto-West Germanic melu, from Proto-Germanic melwą, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European mel-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

Ancestry of “she-male”, step by step

she-male traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Malé

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMalé
2Middle EnglishmeleFlour, especially that of wheat; The meal of...
3Old Englishmeluflour; meal, the edible part of a grain or pulse
4Proto-West Germanicmeluground corn, meal, flour
5Proto-Germanicmelwąground corn, meal, flour
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-to grind, to crush
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

via English she

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsheThe female person or animal previously mentioned...
2Middle EnglishscheThird-person singular feminine pronoun: she; It;...
3Old Englishhēoshe
4Germanic*hiju
5Proto-Germanichijōshe; nominative singular feminine of *hiz
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱe-demonstrative particle; here; this, here
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey-Every word from Proto-Indo-European mel-Every word from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-