# milch

> English word · Adjective · IPA /mɪlt͡ʃ/ · frequency rank #78,825

## Definitions
1. Used to produce milk; dairy.
2. Currently producing milk for its offspring.
3. Tender; pitiful; weeping.

## Etymology
From Middle English milche, melche, from Old English *melċe, *milċe (attested in þrimilċe, þrimelċes mōnaþ), from Proto-Germanic *milkijaz, *melkijaz from Proto-Germanic *melkaz (“milky, milk-giving”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ- (“to wipe, wipe off, milk”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian meelk (“milch”), Low German melke (“milch”), German melk (“milk-giving, milch”), Alemannic German mëlch (“milch, milkable”), Icelandic milkur, mjólkur (“milk-giving”). More at milk. Compare milchig.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/milch