An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Molch
Molch, m., ‘salamander’; the suffix ch first appears in early ModHG. (comp. Habicht); from MidHG. mol, n., molle, m., ‘lizard, salamander,’ OHG. mol, with the variants molm and molt. Du. mol and MidE. molle signify ‘mole.’ It is not certain whether the word in both senses is orig. the same. OHG. mol, ‘lizard,’ has also been connected with the root mat, ‘to grind, pulverise.’