Where does “Milchschlange” come from?
Milchschlange (German) comes from German Schlange, from Middle High German slange, from Old High German slango, from Proto-Germanic slangô, from Proto-Indo-European slenk-, from Proto-Indo-European sel-, from Proto-Indo-European ser- — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.
Milchschlange (German): milk snake
Ancestry of “Milchschlange”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Schlange | snake; line , queue; penis |
| 2 | Middle High German | slange | — |
| 3 | Old High German | slango | snake |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | slangô | snake |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | slenk- | to turn; wind; twist; to turn, to twist, to wind;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sel- | dwelling; piece of wood; beam, post, balk, board,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ser- | to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together |