Milch
/mɪltʃ/noun
Producing milk or relating to milk, especially of a female animal.
Did you know?“Milch” survives most famously in the expression “milch cow,” meaning a dependable source of profit—a metaphor built from an animal valued for its continuing ability to produce milk.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*melǵ-
“To milk or extract milk; the reconstructed root behind several Indo-European milk-words.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*meluks
“Milk; the Germanic ancestor of Old English milc and related forms.”
Old English
Old English
milc
“Milk; the ordinary dairy liquid.”
Middle English
Middle English
milche
“Milch; milk-producing or connected with milk, influenced by Germanic spelling and pronunciation patterns.”
16th Century
English
milch
“Producing milk, especially said of cows or other female mammals.”
Modern English
English
milch
“An adjective mainly used in “milch cow,” referring to an animal or source that yields milk or steady profit.”