Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “flight” come from?

Flight comes from Old English flyht, derived from Proto-Germanic fleuganą meaning to fly, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European plew- meaning to flow or move swiftly.

flight (English): The act of flying; An instance of flying; The act...

Definitions

  1. The act of flying; An instance of flying; The act...

Ancestry of “flight”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishflightflight
2Old Englishflyhtflight
3Proto-West Germanic*fluhtī—
4Proto-Germanic*fluhtiją—
5Proto-Germanicflehtanąto plait, to weave
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpleḱ-to fold, plait, weave
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

Words derived from “flight”

  • flighty
  • spaceflight
  • flightless
  • preflight
  • overflight
  • flightiness
  • flighted
  • postflight
  • midflight
  • topflight
  • flightlessness
  • flightily
  • aflight
  • flighter
  • flightworthy
  • nonflight
  • flightworthiness
  • unflighted
  • flightcase
  • multiflight
  • flightcraft
  • foreflight
  • semiflightless
  • unflighty
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →