Where does “Fliegenfänger” come from?
Fliegenfänger (German) comes from German fliege, from Middle High German fliege, from Old High German flioga, from Proto-Germanic fleugǭ, from Proto-Germanic fleuganą, from Proto-Indo-European plewk-, from Proto-Indo-European plew- — to fly, flow, run.
Fliegenfänger (German): someone or something that catches flies, e.g. a strip of flypaper
Definitions
- someone or something that catches flies, e.g. a strip of flypaper
Ancestry of “Fliegenfänger”, step by step
Fliegenfänger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German fliege
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | fliege | inflection of fliegen: ## first-person singular... |
| 2 | Middle High German | fliege | — |
| 3 | Old High German | flioga | fly |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fleugǭ | flying insect, fly |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fleuganą | to fly |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |
via German Fänger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Fänger | agent noun of fangen |