pre-Nostratic *male[:]k?xa, 'milk (vb.)'

From: Patrick Ryan
Message: 43378
Date: 2006-02-12

The question of PIE *melgh-, 'milk', seems to have died a quiet death.
 
In this form, it corresponds _exactly_ in my tables of conversions to Arabic m-l-g, which Ishinan furnished for us.
 
I would analyze this as 'hang from while giving a sliding bite' = 'nurse' properly rather than 'milk (vb.) [an animal'].
 
There is a Sumerian malga (for *malka[?]) in malga kalam-ma, 'milk-jar[?] of the land', a title of the king but the evidence for this is only circumstantial; i.e. next to non-existent (the sign for malga is, however, written with the sign for 'drinking/eating bowl'  _within_ a jar).
 
Another 'longshot' is Egyptian mnH, 'froth (on lips)'.
 
While it appears virtually certain that the PIE and Arabic words are related, these other possible cognates would suggest a word old enough to be considered for S-Tib.
 
I am VERY reluctant to suggest a triliteral root sufficiently ancient to be possibly found in S-Tib.
 
I thought this might be fun to kick around for a while � the etymology, folks, not me!