Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “flitch” come from?

flitch (English) comes from Middle English flicche, from Old English fliċċe, from Proto-West Germanic *flikkī, from Proto-Germanic flikkiją, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁ḱ- — to tear, peel off; to tear, rend.

flitch (English): The flank or side of an animal, now almost...

Definitions

  1. The flank or side of an animal, now almost...

Ancestry of “flitch”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfliccheThe flank or side of an animal, especially one of...
2Old Englishfliċċeside of an animal, flitch
3Proto-West Germanic*flikkī—
4Proto-Germanicflikkijąside, flitch
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁ḱ-to tear, peel off; to tear, rend
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁ḱ- →