Where does “flatter” come from?

flatter (French) comes from Middle French flatter, from Old French flater, from Frankish flat, from Proto-Germanic flatą, from Proto-Indo-European plÁt-.

flatter (French): to flatter; to pet, to caress

Definitions

  1. to flatter; to pet, to caress

Ancestry of “flatter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchflatterto flatter
2Old Frenchflaterto flatter; to seduce with words
3Frankishflatpalm, flat of the hand; flat
4Proto-Germanicflatą—
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanplÁt-—

Words derived from “flatter”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European plÁt- →Every word from Proto-Germanic flatą →Every word from Frankish flat →
flatter — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer