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