I am wondering if the English word LECHER and the Spanish word LECHE have the same origin.
Thanks.

The short answer is no.  Lecher is from a Germanic root, through French lechier, ‘to lick’.  The PIE root is leigh.  Spanish leche is from the Latin lact-, ‘milk’.  The PIE root is melg-.

No.

Spanish leche is from Latin lac (milk).

Lecher comes ultimately, via French, from Old Teutonic likkojan, to lick.

Pipped at the post by Faldage!

Faldy, you’d better reread your link.  Melg- is the PIE root of “milk” but not of Latin lact- (nor Greek galact-, which as you might guess is related to the Latin).

That doesn’t alter your correct answer to the original question, though.

Thanks y’all.

Dr. Techie - 01 August 2008 07:26 AM

Faldy, you’d better reread your link.  Melg- is the PIE root of “milk” but not of Latin lact- (nor Greek galact-, which as you might guess is related to the Latin).

That doesn’t alter your correct answer to the original question, though.

Yeah, you’re right.  The PIE root is g(a)lag- or g(a)lakt-, which doesn’t have its own entry.