Where does “flak” come from?
Flak comes from German FlaK, an abbreviation of Fliegerabwehrkanone, from Kanone, from Italian cannone, ultimately from Latin canna meaning reed or tube, from Ancient Greek κάννα.
flak (English): Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive...
Definitions
- Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive...
Ancestry of “flak”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | FlaK | Alternative spelling of Flak, "itself an"... |
| 2 | German | Fliegerabwehrkanone | anti-aircraft gun ; abbreviated as flak |
| 3 | German | Abwehr | defence: action to stop an attack; a method or... |
| 4 | German | abwehren | to fend off; to refuse, to say no |
| 5 | German | wehren | to fight; to defend |
| 6 | Middle High German | wëren | — |
| 7 | Old High German | werien | to defend, protect |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | waʀjan | to clothe |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | warjaną | to ward off, to defend against; to thwart, to... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |