Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “malz” come from?

malz (German) comes from Middle High German malz, from Old High German malz, from Proto-Germanic maltą, from Proto-Indo-European meld-, from Proto-Indo-European mel-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

Ancestry of “malz”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanmalz—
2Old High Germanmalz—
3Proto-Germanicmaltąmalt
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmeld-to beat, crush, grind
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →