Where does “flower fly” come from?

flower fly (English) comes from English fly, from Middle English flien, from Old English flēogan, from Old English -ende, from Proto-West Germanic *-andī, from Proto-Germanic -andz, from Proto-Indo-European -ónts, from Hungarian önt — sound, voice.

flower fly (English): A hoverfly

Definitions

  1. A hoverfly

Ancestry of “flower fly”, step by step

flower fly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English fly

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishflyAny insect of the order Diptera; characterized by...
2Middle EnglishflienTo fly; to travel in the air; To move in the sky;...
3Old Englishflēoganto fly
4Old English-endeequivalent of English -ing; suffix for present...
5Proto-West Germanic*-andī
6Proto-Germanic-andz
7Proto-Indo-European-óntsDerives nouns denoting body parts
8Hungarianöntto pour; to cast; accusative singular of ön
9Hungarianönyou
10Hungarianön-self-
11Turkishönfront
12Ottoman Turkishاوكvoice (of human or animal); sound
13Proto-Turkicǖnsound, voice

via English flower

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishflowerA colorful, conspicuous structure associated with...
2Middle EnglishflourA flower; A depiction or likeness of a flower;...
3Anglo-NormanflurAlternative form of flor
4Old Frenchflorflower
5Latinflōsflower, blossom
6Proto-Italicflōsflower, blossom
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleh₃-sflower, blossom
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleh₃-bloom, flower
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-
Every word from Proto-Turkic ǖnEvery word from Hungarian ön-Every word from Old English -ende