Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “fleien” come from?

fleien (Middle English) comes from Old English flīeġan, from Proto-Germanic flaugijaną, from Proto-Germanic fleuganą, from Proto-Indo-European plewk-, from Proto-Indo-European plew- — to fly, flow, run.

Ancestry of “fleien”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishflīeġan—
2Proto-Germanicflaugijanąto cause to fly, let fly; to make flee, put to...
3Proto-Germanicfleuganąto fly
4Proto-Indo-Europeanplewk-to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands
5Proto-Indo-Europeanplew-to fly, flow, run

Words derived from “fleien”

  • flay
  • flayer
  • fley
  • flaysome
  • flayeth
  • flayest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European plew- →