Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Floh” come from?

Floh (German) comes from Middle High German vlō(ch), from Old High German flōh, from Proto-West Germanic flauh, from Proto-Germanic flauhaz, from Proto-Indo-European plówkos, from Proto-Indo-European plúsis — flea.

Ancestry of “Floh”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanvlō(ch)—
2Old High Germanflōh—
3Proto-West Germanicflauhflea
4Proto-Germanicflauhazflea
5Proto-Indo-Europeanplówkos—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanplúsisflea
Every word from Proto-Indo-European plúsis →