Etymology

flay

F4L1A1Y4

Today it means: To cause to fly; put to flight; drive off (by frightening). Full definition →

Middle English flayen ← Old English flīeġan ← Proto-Germanic *flaugijaną
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flay · verb, noun1

  1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*fleuganą“to fly”
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*flaugijaną“to let fly, cause to fly”
  3. Old English · inherited fromflīeġan
  4. Middle English · inherited fromflayen
  5. English todayflay

From Middle English flayen, flaien, fleien, from Old English flīeġan ("to cause to fly, put to flight, frighten"), from Proto-Germanic *flaugijaną (“to let fly, cause to fly”), causative of Proto-Germanic *fleuganą (“to fly”).

flay · verb2

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*flahaną
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*flahan
  3. Old English · inherited fromflēan
  4. Middle English · inherited fromflen
  5. English todayflay

From Middle English flen, from Old English flēan, from Proto-West Germanic *flahan, from Proto-Germanic *flahaną.

Words from the same roots

Old Englishflīeġan all →

fley

Proto-Germanic*fleuganą all →

flyflyingflew

Middle Englishflen all →

flee

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.