An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Milch

by Friedrich Kluge

Milch, f., from the equiv. MidHG. milch, OHG. miluh, f., ‘milk’; the common Teut. term for ‘milk’; comp. Goth. miluks. f., OIc. mjólkr, f., AS. meoluc, milc, f., E. milk, Du. melk, OSax. miluk. The direct connection of the Teut. cognates. with the root melk in melken is indubitable. It is remarkable, however, that a common Aryan, or at least a West Aryan term for ‘milk’ is wanting, although the root melg, Teut. melk, ‘to milk,’ occurs in all the West Aryan languages. Gr. γάλα (stem γάλακτ-), Lat. lac (stem lact-), cannot be connected with the root melg, and OSlov. mlěko (from *melko) with its Slav. cognates must have been borrowed from the OTeut. word, since in a primit. allied word we should have expected a g instead of the k.