Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “flex” come from?

Flex comes from Latin flexus, the past participle of flectere, which derives from Proto-Italic flektō, meaning to bend or turn.

flex (English): Flexibility, pliancy; The or an act of flexing;...

Definitions

  1. Flexibility, pliancy; The or an act of flexing;...

Ancestry of “flex”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanflexibelflexible
2Latinflexibilisflexible, pliant, able to be bent; tractable,...
3Latin-bilis-ble
4Proto-Italic-ðlis—
5Proto-Indo-European-dʰlis—
6Proto-Indo-European-dʰlomAlternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;...

Words derived from “flex”

  • dorsiflex
  • flexography
  • plantarflex
  • flexplate
  • hyperflex
  • flexy
  • unflex
  • downflex
  • flexwing
  • fleisg
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -dʰlom →