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

  1. A piece of cloth, often decorated with an emblem,...

Ancestry of “flag”, step by step

flag traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English flack

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishflackTo flutter; palpitate; To hang loosely; flag; To...
2Middle Englishflackento palpitate, flutter; to move to and fro,...
3Germanflackernto flicker
4Middle High Germanvlackern—
5Proto-Germanicflakurazshaking, wavering
6Proto-Indo-Europeanplāg-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpelə-to wander; to fill

via Proto-Germanic flaką

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicflakąsomething flat
2Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₂-flat

via Middle English flag

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishflag—

Words derived from “flag”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pelə- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European plāg- →Every word from Proto-Germanic flakuraz →