Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “flinching” come from?

Flinching derives from English flense, meaning to strip blubber from a whale, which comes from Danish flense.

flinching (English): present participle of flinch; A flinching motion;...

Definitions

  1. present participle of flinch; A flinching motion;...

Ancestry of “flinching”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishflinchA reflexive jerking away; The slipping of the...
2Middle Frenchflenchirto bend

Words derived from “flinching”

  • unflinching
  • unflinchingly
  • flinchingly
  • unflinchingness
Every word from Middle French flenchir →