Where does “flattery” come from?

Flattery comes from Middle English flaterye, from Old French flaterie and flater, from Proto-Germanic flataz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots plāk-, pelh₂-, and pel-.

flattery (English): Excessive praise or approval, which is often...

Definitions

  1. Excessive praise or approval, which is often...

Ancestry of “flattery”, step by step

flattery traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English flaterye

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishflaterye—
2Old Frenchflaterie—
3Old Frenchflaterto flatter; to seduce with words
4Frankishflatpalm, flat of the hand; flat
5Proto-Germanicflatą—
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanplÁt-—

via Irish Ó Flaithre

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1IrishÓ Flaithre—

Words derived from “flattery”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European plÁt- →Every word from Proto-Germanic flatą →Every word from Frankish flat →