Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “flit” come from?

Flit comes from Middle English flitten, from Old Norse flytja, from Proto-Germanic flutjaną, from Proto-Indo-European plewd-, ultimately from the root plew-.

flit (English): A fluttering or darting movement; A particular,...

Definitions

  1. A fluttering or darting movement; A particular,...

Ancestry of “flit”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishflitten—
2Old Norseflytjato move
3Proto-Germanicflutjanąto move, flutter
4Proto-Indo-Europeanplewd-to fly, flow, run
5Proto-Indo-Europeanplew-to fly, flow, run

Words derived from “flit”

  • flitting
  • flittingly
  • flitty
  • flittiness
  • flitsome
Every word from Proto-Indo-European plew- →