Where does “Milchvieh” come from?
Milchvieh (German) comes from German Vieh, from Middle High German vihe, from Old High German fihu, from Proto-West Germanic *fehu, from Proto-Germanic fehu, from Proto-Indo-European péḱu, from Proto-Indo-European peḱ- — to pluck; livestock; wealth.
Milchvieh (German): dairy cattle
Ancestry of “Milchvieh”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Vieh | livestock; farm animals; Alternative form of... |
| 2 | Middle High German | vihe | — |
| 3 | Old High German | fihu | cattle |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *fehu | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fehu | livestock, cattle; property; name of the F-rune |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | péḱu | livestock |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | peḱ- | to pluck; livestock; wealth |