Etymology
1. O.E.
malt (Anglian),
mealt (W.Saxon), from P.Gmc.
*maltaz (cf. O.N.
malt, Ger.
Malz "malt"), from same Gmc. root as O.E.
meltan (see melt), probably via notion of "softening" the grain by steeping it in water before brewing, from PIE
*meld- (cf. Skt.
mrduh "soft, mild," Gk.
meldein "to melt, make liquid," L.
mollis "soft"), from base
*mel- "to grind" (cf. Gk.
myle "mill," L.
molere "to grind;" see mallet). Finnish
mallas, O.C.S.
mlato are considered to be borrowed from Germanic.
Malt liquor (which is fermented, not brewed) first attested 1693.
Malted "a drink with malted milk" is from 1945.
2. From Middle English malt, from Old English mealt, from Proto-West Germanic *malt, from Proto-Germanic *maltą (“malt”), from *maltaz (“soft; nesh; weak; squashy; melting”), from Proto-Indo-European *meld-, *mled- (“to crush; grind; make weak”).
3. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Moalt (“malt”), Dutch mout (“malt”), German Malz (“malt”), Swedish malt (“malt”), Old Church Slavonic младъ (mladŭ, “tender; young”), Russian молодой (molodoj, “young; fresh; new”). The Proto-Germanic noun was borrowed into Proto-Slavic as *malta; compare Ukrainian мо́лот (mólot), Czech mláto. More at melt.
Verbs referencing "malt"
Italian
maltare.