Milk
/mɪlk/noun
A white nutritious liquid produced by mammals to feed their young.
Did you know?Milk descends from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to rub or stroke,” likely tied to the act of milking by hand—so even this everyday word carries the memory of touch, ritual, and survival.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂melǵ-
“to rub, stroke, or milk”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*meluks
“milk”
Old English
English
meolc
“milk”
Middle English
English
milk
“milk”
Modern English
English
milk
“milk”