Etymology

By liquid metathesis from Proto-Slavic *moldъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *maldas, from Proto-Indo-European *(h₂)moldos ‎(“soft, weak”). Cognates include Old Prussian maldai ‎(“boys”), Latin mollis ‎(“soft, weak”), Ancient Greek βλαδύς ‎(bladús, “weak”) and ἀμαλδύνω ‎(amaldúnō, “to weaken, destroy”).