Where does “flag” come from?
flag (Danish) comes from Dutch flag, from English flag, from English flack, from Middle English flacken, from German flackern, from Middle High German vlackern, from Proto-Germanic flakuraz, from Proto-Indo-European plāg- — to wander; to fill.
flag (Danish): flag; imperative of flage
Definitions
- flag; imperative of flage
Ancestry of “flag”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | flag | flag |
| 2 | English | flag | A piece of cloth, often decorated with an emblem,... |
| 3 | English | flack | To flutter; palpitate; To hang loosely; flag; To... |
| 4 | Middle English | flacken | to palpitate, flutter; to move to and fro,... |
| 5 | German | flackern | to flicker |
| 6 | Middle High German | vlackern | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | flakuraz | shaking, wavering |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | plāg- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pelə- | to wander; to fill |