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
Ancestry of “flight”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | flyht | flight |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *fluhtī | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *fluhtiją | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | flehtaną | to plait, to weave |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pleḱ- | to fold, plait, weave |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |
Words derived from “flight”