Where does “fleece” come from?

Fleece comes from Middle English flees, derived from Old French -esse, which traces back through Ancient Greek -ισσα to Proto-Indo-European plews- and -iskos.

fleece (English): Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal;...

Definitions

  1. Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal;...

Ancestry of “fleece”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishflesA sheepskin or fleece; the skin of a sheep
2Old Englishflēosfleece
3Proto-West Germanicfleusfleece
4Proto-Germanicfleusaz
5Proto-Indo-Europeanplews-to pluck, a feather, fleece; to pull out, pluck
6Proto-Indo-Europeanplúsisflea

Words derived from “fleece

Every word from Proto-Indo-European plúsis
fleece — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer