Where does “malt” come from?

malt (Latvian) comes from Proto-Indo-European meld-, from Proto-Indo-European mel-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

malt (Latvian): to grind; to mill; to mince

Definitions

  1. to grind; to mill; to mince

Ancestry of “malt”, step by step

malt traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Indo-European meld-

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Indo-Europeanmeld-to beat, crush, grind
2Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

via Proto-Indo-European mled-

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Indo-Europeanmled-to crush; grind; make weak
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey-Every word from Proto-Indo-European mel-Every word from Proto-Indo-European meld-