Where does “flat” come from?
Flat comes from Middle English flet, from Frankish flatjan, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European pel- meaning to spread or flatten.
flat (English): Having no variations in height; Without...
Definitions
- Having no variations in height; Without...
Ancestry of “flat”, step by step
flat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Scots flet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scots | flet | inner part of a house |
| 2 | Middle English | flet | the floor, ground; a dwelling, habitation, house,... |
| 3 | Old English | flet | the floor, ground; a dwelling, habitation, house,... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | flatją | a level surface; level ground; the floor of a... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | flataz | flat |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | plÁt- | — |