Where does “molletière” come from?
molletière (French) comes from French mollet, from French mou, from Old French mol, from Latin mollis, from Latin molduis, from Proto-Italic moldus, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dus, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld- — to soften, to melt.
molletière (French): gaiter, puttee
Ancestry of “molletière”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | mollet | calf |
| 2 | French | mou | soft, pliable; pansy, spineless; lungs, lights |
| 3 | Old French | mol | soft |
| 4 | Latin | mollis | soft, delicate to the touch; pliant, flexible,... |
| 5 | Latin | molduis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | moldus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | *ml̥dus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meld- | to soften, to melt |