Where does “flax” come from?
Flax comes from Old English fleax, from Proto-Germanic flahsą, from Proto-Indo-European pleḱ-, ultimately from the root pel- meaning to fold or twist.
flax (English): A plant of the genus "Linum", especially "Linum...
Definitions
- A plant of the genus "Linum", especially "Linum...
Ancestry of “flax”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | flax | flax (Linum usitatissimum) or its fibres |
| 2 | Old English | fleax | linen, flax |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | flahs | flax |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | flahsą | flax |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pleḱ- | to fold, plait, weave |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |
Words derived from “flax”