Faroese

Noun

mjólk f (genitive singular mjólkar, uncountable)

1. milk

Declension

Note the lack of i-mutation in the genitive (from *melukiz ). Although the form would suggest a mutated **mýlkur, -jó- is not the original vowel (from *-eu-, as in tjóð ), but a product of a double vowel change, first fracture: meluk- > mjǫlk, and then lengthening: o/ǫ > ó before lk. Also, the ability of the -iz to effect an i-mutation on the first vowel is reduced by the intermediate -u-.

Derived terms

• mjólkardropi
• mjólkarsjokuláta
• mjólkarsýra
• kokusmjólk
• knívur mátti ikki fara í mjólk - bert skeið ella spónur og krúss - a knife may never go in milk - only scoop, spoon and mug

See also

• ostur
• smør
• kjøt
• ull

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse mjǫlk, mjolk, from Proto-Germanic *meluks, cognate with Danish mælk, Swedish mjölk, English milk. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mjoul̥k/

  Rhymes: -oul̥k

Noun

mjólk f ‎(genitive singular mjólkur, no plural)

1. milk
2. any liquid resembling milk, as the liquid within a coconut (e.g. kókosmjólk), the juice or sap of certain plants (e.g. fíflamjólk), or various pharmaceutical preparations
3. (rare) milt from a fish

Declension

Note the lack of i-mutation in the genitive (from *melukiz ). Although the form would suggest a mutated **mýlkur, -jó- is not the original vowel (from *-eu-, as in þjóð ), but a product of a double vowel change, first fracture: meluk- > mjǫlk, and then lengthening: o/ǫ > ó before lk. Also, the ability of the -iz to effect an i-mutation on the first vowel is reduced by the intermediate -u-.

Derived terms