Etymology Map
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Milk

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means the white liquid produced by mammals to feed their young

Where does the word "milk" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic meluks, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
meluks
Proto-Germanic · ancient
"milk"
from a root meaning to stroke or rub, as in milking by hand; related to Latin 'mulgēre', to milk
2
Stage 2 of 3
meolc
Old English · 700s-1000s
"milk"
the Anglo-Saxon name for May was 'Þrimilce', the month of three milkings a day
3
Stage 3 of 3
milk
English · 1500s
"milk"
'the Milky Way' translates Latin 'via lactea'
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Read the full story

Milk’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: meluks meant “milk.” From a root meaning to stroke or rub, as in milking by hand; related to Latin 'mulgēre', to milk. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as meolc. The Anglo-Saxon name for May was 'Þrimilce', the month of three milkings a day. It reached English by 1500s as milk. 'the Milky Way' translates Latin 'via lactea'. Today, milk means the white liquid produced by mammals to feed their young.