Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “flesh” come from?

flesh (Middle English) comes from Old English flǣsċ, from Proto-West Germanic flaiski, from Proto-Germanic flaiski, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁ḱ- — to tear, peel off; to tear, rend.

flesh (Middle English): flesh; A communion wafer; A muscle

Definitions

  1. flesh; A communion wafer; A muscle

Ancestry of “flesh”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishflǣsċ—
2Proto-West Germanicflaiskimeat, flesh
3Proto-Germanicflaiskimeat, flesh
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁ḱ-to tear, peel off; to tear, rend

Words derived from “flesh”

  • flesh
  • fleshly
  • horseflesh
  • flesher
  • fleshliness
  • fleshpot
  • enflesh
  • fleshlike
  • unfleshly
  • fleshfly
  • deflesh
  • fleshling
  • fleshhook
  • fleshment
  • fleshworm
  • fleshmonger
  • cowflesh
  • fleshhood
  • unflesh
  • inflesh
  • woodflesh
  • goatflesh
  • deerflesh
  • fleshloaf
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁ḱ- →