Where does “flight” come from?

flight (Middle English) comes from Old English flyht, from Proto-West Germanic *fluhtī, from Proto-Germanic *fluhtiją, from Proto-Germanic flehtaną, from Proto-Indo-European pleḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European pel- — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.

flight (Middle English): flight (act of flying)

Definitions

  1. flight (act of flying)

Ancestry of “flight”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishflyhtflight
2Proto-West Germanic*fluhtīact of flying, flight
3Proto-Germanic*fluhtiją—
4Proto-Germanicflehtanąto plait, to weave
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpleḱ-to fold, plait, weave
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

Words derived from “flight”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →
flight — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer