Where does “flagpole” come from?
Flagpole is a compound of English flag and English pole, with pole deriving from Latin polus and Latin palus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kʷel- and peh₂ǵ-.
flagpole (English): A tall pole up which one or more flags may be...
Definitions
- A tall pole up which one or more flags may be...
Ancestry of “flagpole”, step by step
flagpole traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English flag
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | flag | A piece of cloth, often decorated with an emblem,... |
| 2 | English | flack | To flutter; palpitate; To hang loosely; flag; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | flacken | to palpitate, flutter; to move to and fro,... |
| 4 | German | flackern | to flicker |
| 5 | Middle High German | vlackern | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | flakuraz | shaking, wavering |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plāg- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pelə- | to wander; to fill |
via English Pole
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Pole | A person from Poland or of Polish descent |
| 2 | Middle English | pole | pole, stake, staff |
| 3 | Old French | poule | hen |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | pulla | nominative feminine singular of pullus;... |
| 5 | Latin | pullus | A young animal; darling; dark-colored; dusky |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | polHwós | pale, gray |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pelH- | pale, gray |