Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “flake” come from?

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

flake (Middle English): a flake of snow

Definitions

  1. a flake of snow

Ancestry of “flake”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseflakloose or torn piece
2Proto-Germanicflakąsomething flat
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₂-flat

Words derived from “flake”

  • flake
  • flaky
  • snowflake
  • flakiness
  • cornflake
  • flaker
  • flakelike
  • microflake
  • flakily
  • flakeboard
  • snowflakelike
  • flakeable
  • soapflake
  • Flakegate
  • snowflaky
  • beflake
  • unflaky
  • snowflake generation
  • nonflaky
  • sootflake
  • nanoflake
  • flakeless
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₂- →