Etymology Explorer › English

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”

  • fleshly
  • horseflesh
  • flesher
  • fleshliness
  • fleshpot
  • enflesh
  • fleshlike
  • unfleshly
  • fleshfly
  • deflesh
  • fleshling
  • fleshhook
  • fleshment
  • fleshworm
  • fleshmonger
  • cowflesh
  • fleshhood
  • unflesh
  • inflesh
  • woodflesh
  • goatflesh
  • deerflesh
  • fleshloaf
  • flesh-colored
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁ḱ- →