An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Mulde

by Friedrich Kluge

Mulde, feminine, ‘trough, tray, pail,’ from Middle High German mulde, feminine, ‘semicircular hollow vessel, especially used for cleaning corn, flour-bin, kneading-trough,’ with the equivalent variants Middle High German muolte, muolter, multer, Old High German muoltera. The uo before an l and a consonant points to the fact that the cognates were borrowed; they are usually referred to Latin mulctra, ‘milk-pail.’