Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fleet” come from?

Fleet comes from Middle English flete and Middle English flet, from Old English flēot, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European roots plad-, plāk-, pelh₂-, and pel-.

fleet (English): A group of vessels or vehicles; Any group of...

Definitions

  1. A group of vessels or vehicles; Any group of...

Ancestry of “fleet”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfleteA fleet; a collection or grouping of vessels; A...
2Old Englishflēotship; bay; fleet
3Frankishflotōnto float, swim
4Proto-Germanicflutōnąto float; drift
5Proto-Indo-Europeanplewd-to fly, flow, run
6Proto-Indo-Europeanplew-to fly, flow, run

Words derived from “fleet”

  • Fleet
  • fleeting
  • fleetingly
  • fleetness
  • fleetly
  • fleetingness
  • fleetfooted
  • fleetwide
  • interfleet
  • nonfleet
  • fleet race
  • fleet racing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European plew- →