Where does “flipper” come from?

Flipper comes from English flip, influenced by English fillip, both ultimately deriving from Latin -āre verb endings via Old French -er, with the agent noun suffix from Latin -ārius.

flipper (English): In marine mammals such as whales, a wide flat...

Definitions

  1. In marine mammals such as whales, a wide flat...

Ancestry of “flipper”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFlipA Filipino; a person who is of Filipino...
2EnglishfillipThe action of holding the tip of a finger against...
3Middle Englishfilippento make a signal or sound with thumb and right...
4Middle Englishflappento flap, clap, slap, strike

Words derived from “flipper

Every word from Middle English flappenEvery word from Middle English filippenEvery word from English fillip
flipper — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer