Where does “молодежь” come from?

молодежь (Old East Slavic) comes from Proto-Slavic moldežь, from Proto-Slavic moldъ, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dus, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld- — to soften, to melt.

Ancestry of “молодежь”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slavicmoldežьyouth; young person
2Proto-Slavicmoldъyoung
3Proto-Indo-European*ml̥dussoft, weak
4Proto-Indo-European(s)meld-to soften, to melt

Words derived from “молодежь”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dus →Every word from Proto-Slavic moldъ →