flee

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*plewk-
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*fleuhaną
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*fleuhan
4. Old English · inherited fromflēon
5. Middle English · inherited fromflen
6. English todayflee

From Middle English flen, from Old English flēon, from Proto-West Germanic *fleuhan, from Proto-Germanic *fleuhaną, from Proto-Indo-European *plewk-, *plew- (“to fly, flow, run”). Cognate with Dutch vlieden, German fliehen, Icelandic flýja, Swedish fly, Gothic 𐌸𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽 (þliuhan). Within English, related to fly and more distantly to flow.

Words from the same roots