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
- comparative form of flat: more flat; To...
Ancestry of “flatter”, step by step
flatter traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English flat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | flat | Having no variations in height; Without... |
| 2 | Scots | flet | inner part of a house |
| 3 | Middle English | flet | the floor, ground; a dwelling, habitation, house,... |
| 4 | Old English | flet | the floor, ground; a dwelling, habitation, house,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | flatją | a level surface; level ground; the floor of a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | flataz | flat |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plÁt- | — |
via Middle English flatteren
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | flatteren | — |
| 2 | Old English | floterian | to float |
| 3 | Old English | flotian | to float |
| 4 | Frankish | flotōn | to float, swim |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | flutōną | to float; drift |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | plewd- | to fly, flow, run |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |
via English flat#Verb
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | flat#Verb | — |