Etymograph

English

milchig

Milchig comes from Yiddish מילכיק ‘milky’, from מילך ‘milk’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂melǵ-1‘to milk’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*meluks1‘milk’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*meluk1‘milk’reconstructed
  4. Old High Germanc. 750–1050miluh1
  5. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350milch1
  6. Yiddishmodernמילך2‘milk’
  7. Yiddishmodernמילכיק3milkhik‘milky’
  8. Englishtodaymilchig3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Yiddish מילך
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Yiddish מילכיק
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English milchig

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂melǵ-Wiktionary, Yiddish מילך‘to milk’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*meluksWiktionary, Yiddish מילך‘milk’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*melukWiktionary, Yiddish מילך‘milk’reconstructed
  4. Old High Germanc. 750–1050miluhWiktionary, Yiddish מילך
  5. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350milchWiktionary, Yiddish מילך
  6. YiddishmodernמילךWiktionary, Yiddish מילכיק‘milk’
  7. YiddishmodernמילכיקWiktionary, English milchigmilkhik‘milky’
  8. EnglishtodaymilchigWiktionary, English milchig

The story

From Yiddish מילכיק (milkhik) with the spelling influenced by German, or else borrowed directly from German milchig (‘milky’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ- ‘to milk’

emulsion, promulgation, 2 more

through Proto-West Germanic *meluk ‘milk’

milk

Today it means

adj Dairy, containing anything derived from milk.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “milchig”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Yiddish מילך, Yiddish מילכיק. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ- / milchig

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