Where does “flesh” come from?

Flesh derives from Old English flǣsċ, from Proto-West Germanic flaiski, from Proto-Germanic flaiski, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁ḱ-.

flesh (English): The soft tissue of the body, especially muscle...

Definitions

  1. The soft tissue of the body, especially muscle...

Ancestry of “flesh”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfleshflesh; A communion wafer; A muscle
2Old Englishflǣsċ
3Proto-West Germanicflaiskimeat, flesh
4Proto-Germanicflaiskimeat, flesh
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁ḱ-to tear, peel off; to tear, rend

Words derived from “flesh

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁ḱ-