Where does “sootflake” come from?

sootflake (English) comes from English flake, from Middle English flake, from Old Norse flak, from Proto-Germanic flaką, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₂- — flat.

sootflake (English): A flake of soot

Definitions

  1. A flake of soot

Ancestry of “sootflake”, step by step

sootflake traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English flake

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishflakeA loose filmy mass or a thin chiplike layer of...
2Middle Englishflakea flake of snow
3Old Norseflakloose or torn piece
4Proto-Germanicflakąsomething flat
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₂-flat

via English soot

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsootFine black or dull brown particles of amorphous...
2Middle EnglishsootAlternative form of swete; soot
3Old Englishswōtsweet
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₂- →