Where does “flightless” come from?
Flightless derives from Old English flyht combined with the Old English suffix -lēas, both ultimately from Proto-Germanic fleuganą and Proto-Indo-European plew-, meaning to fly.
flightless (English): Unable to fly. Usually used with birds such as...
Definitions
- Unable to fly. Usually used with birds such as...
Ancestry of “flightless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | flight | The act of flying; An instance of flying; The act... |
| 2 | Middle English | flight | flight (act of flying) |
| 3 | Old English | flyht | flight |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *fluhtī | act of flying, flight |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *fluhtiją | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | flehtaną | to plait, to weave |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pleḱ- | to fold, plait, weave |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |