Where does “flew” come from?

Flew comes from Old English flēag, from Proto-Germanic flaug, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European plew-.

flew (English): The thick, dangling upper lip of certain breeds...

Definitions

  1. The thick, dangling upper lip of certain breeds...

Ancestry of “flew”, step by step

flew traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English flew

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishflew—
2Old Englishflēag—
3Proto-Germanicflaug—
4Proto-Germanicfleuganąto fly
5Proto-Indo-Europeanplewk-to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands
6Proto-Indo-Europeanplew-to fly, flow, run

via Middle English flow

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishflow—
2Old Englishflug-—
3Proto-Germanicflug-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European plew- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European plewk- →Every word from Proto-Germanic fleuganą →