Where does “fleem” come from?
fleem (Middle English) comes from Old English flēam, from Norwegian Nynorsk flaum, from Middle High German phlūme, from Old High German phlūma, from Latin plūma, from Proto-Italic plouksmā, from Proto-Indo-European plúnksneh₂, from Proto-Indo-European plú-n-k- — to fly, flow, run.
Ancestry of “fleem”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | flēam | fleeing; flight; rush; flight |
| 2 | Norwegian Nynorsk | flaum | flood |
| 3 | Middle High German | phlūme | — |
| 4 | Old High German | phlūma | — |
| 5 | Latin | plūma | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | plouksmā | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plúnksneh₂ | feather |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | plú-n-k- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |