Cognate Set 8503 – Meaning: cloud

IE-CoR reference form:
*melhman-
IE-CoR reference language:
Proto-Germanic
Ideophonic:
no
Parallel derivation:
no
Justification:
Extra-Germanic connections uncertain. Often compared to Lith. mìlšti(s) and other Balto-Slavic forms with various degrees of confidence of the etymology (cf. Lehmann 1986:255, Kroonen 2013:403). Fraenkel 1962–1965:453 suggests possibly related ('eventuell'). No lemma for Lith. mìlšti(s) in ALEW or Derksen 2015.
Found in clades:
Germanic
Revised by:
Matthew Scarborough
Found in 1 clade by 3 lexemes.
Language Lexeme Native script Phonetic Phonemic Notes
109   Swedish moln moːln
107   Elfdalian muoln mʉːəln mʉəln
101   Gothic milhma 𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌷𐌼𐌰 ˈmilhma ˈmilhma
References
  • Fraenkel, Ernst: 453
    Cf. s.v. Lith. mìlšti(s) 'sich zusammenziehen, vom Gewitter', maybe to be connected to Goth. milhma 'Wolke'.
  • Kroonen, Guus: 363
    S.v. Proto-Germanic *melhman- 'cloud' (Goth. milhman 'id.' as though from *melk̑-mon-; cf. Lith. mìlšti 'to become overcast' < *mlk̑-ske-; Ru. (dial.) molost' 'bad weather' < *molk̑-ti). An mn-stem created to a lost verbal root *melh-, continuing a Germanic-Balto-Slavic isogloss *melk̑- (cf. Fraenkel 1965:453). The same root is continued in OSw. moln, molen, Elfd. muoln 'cloud' < *mulhna-. Possibly both formations arose through a paradigm split of different ablaut forms.
  • Lehmann, Winfred P.: 255
    S.v. Goth. M63. milhma 'νεφέλη', 'cloud'. Only possible Gmc. cognate OSw. molin, Sw. moln 'cloud', a dialectal replacement for PIE *nebʰ-. Many conjectures at an etymology, perhaps to Lith. mìlšti(s) 'gather (of a storm)', Latv. milzt 'become dark or foggy', Russ. molostь 'thunderstorm'. If there was a metathesis of -l-, possibly further to Lith. miglà, Latv. migla, OCS mьgla 'fog', Gk. ὀμίχλη 'cloud' from PIE *mei̯gʰ- 'cloud', other conjectures less likely.
  • Scarborough, Matthew:
    Extra-Germanic connections uncertain. Often compared to Lith. mìlšti(s) and other Balto-Slavic forms with various degrees of confidence of the etymology (cf. [Lehmann 1986](src-179):255, [Kroonen 2013](src-165):403). [Fraenkel 1962–1965](src-360):453 suggests possibly related ('eventuell'). No lemma for Lith. mìlšti(s) in [ALEW](src-352) or [Derksen 2015](src-353).