An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/melken

by Friedrich Kluge

melken, verb, from the equivalent Middle High German mëlken, mëlchen, Old High German mëlchan, ‘to milk’; compare Dutch melken, Anglo-Saxon mëlcan (wanting in English, in which to milk is used); Icelandic mjalta, and also mjalter, ‘milking,’ mjaltr, ‘milch,’ but also from mjolk, ‘milk,’ mjolka, ‘to milk,’ and mjolkr, ‘milch’; Gothic *milkan is by chance not recorded. The Teutonic root melk is derived from the Aryan melg, which occurs with the same meaning in the West Aryan languages; compare Latin mulgere, Greek ἀμέλγει, Old Slovenian mlěsti (present mlŭzą), Lithuanian mìlsti (present mélžu). In the East Aryan languages the corresponding root appears with an older signification, ‘to wipe or rub off’ (compare Sanscrit mârj, mṛj, Zend marez). Melken is one of the characteristic words which point to a closer connection between the West Aryans compared with the East Aryans; compare Hanf and mahlen. See also Milch, Molke, and melk.