Where does “flay” come from?

flay (Middle English) comes from Old Norse flaga, from Proto-Germanic flagō, from Proto-Indo-European plāk-, from Proto-Indo-European pele- — broad, flat, plain; broad, wide, flat.

flay (Middle English): a flake of fire or snow, spark, splinter

Definitions

  1. a flake of fire or snow, spark, splinter

Ancestry of “flay”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseflagaa flag or slab of stone, flake; stone slab
2Proto-Germanicflagōa layer of soil
3Proto-Indo-Europeanplāk-broad, flat; smooth, flat; flat, broad, plain
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpele-broad, flat, plain; broad, wide, flat
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pele- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European plāk- →Every word from Proto-Germanic flagō →