Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “flatter” come from?

Flatter comes from Old French -er and Latin -are, ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root plāk- meaning to be flat or spread.

flatter (English): comparative form of flat: more flat; To...

Definitions

  1. comparative form of flat: more flat; To...

Ancestry of “flatter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
2Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
3Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
4Latin-āre—
5Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
6Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
7Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
9Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “flatter”

  • unflattering
  • unflatteringly
  • flattereth
  • flatterest
  • flatteress
  • flatterable
  • overflatter
  • flattersome
  • outflatter
  • beflatter
  • flatterous
  • unflatter
Every word from Chichewa iye →