Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “flightlessly” come from?

flightlessly (English) comes from English flightless, from English flight, from Middle English flight, from Old English flyht, from Proto-West Germanic *fluhtī, from Proto-Germanic *fluhtiją, from Proto-Germanic flehtaną, from Proto-Indo-European pleḱ- — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.

flightlessly (English): Without the power of flight

Definitions

  1. Without the power of flight

Ancestry of “flightlessly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishflightlessUnable to fly. Usually used with birds such as...
2EnglishflightThe act of flying; An instance of flying; The act...
3Middle Englishflightflight
4Old Englishflyhtflight
5Proto-West Germanic*fluhtī—
6Proto-Germanic*fluhtiją—
7Proto-Germanicflehtanąto plait, to weave
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpleḱ-to fold, plait, weave
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →