Where does “flee” come from?
Flee comes from Old English flēon, from Proto-Germanic fleuhaną, from Proto-Indo-European plew-, meaning to flow or swim.
flee (English): To run away; to escape; To escape from; To...
Definitions
- To run away; to escape; To escape from; To...
Ancestry of “flee”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | flen | plural of fle |
| 2 | Old English | flēon | to flee |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | fleuhan | to flee |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fleuhaną | to flee; to escape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |
Words derived from “flee”