Where does “flush” come from?
Flush comes from Middle French flus, meaning a flowing or flood.
flush (English): A group of birds that have suddenly started up...
Definitions
- A group of birds that have suddenly started up...
Ancestry of “flush”, step by step
flush traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English flaske
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | flaske | Alternative form of flask; case, cask, keg |
| 2 | Old English | flasce | flask, bottle |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | flaskā | bottle, flask |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | flaskǭ | a plaiting-covered vessel; bottle, flask |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | flehtaną | to plait, to weave |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pleḱ- | to fold, plait, weave |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |
via Middle French flus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | flus | flow |