Etymology

flush

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Today it means: A group of birds that have suddenly started up from undergrowth, trees, etc. Full definition →

Middle English flusshen
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flush · noun, verb1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromflusshen
  2. English todayflush

From Middle English flusshen, fluschen, of uncertain origin. Compare dialectal flusk (“to fly at, startle a bird out of the bush”) and flusker (“to flutter, fly irregularly”). Perhaps related to Middle English flasshen, flasschen, flaschen, see flash; or a Middle English blend of flowen (“to flow”) + guschen (“to gush”). Compare Saterland Frisian flutskje, German Low German flutschen, German flutschen.

flush · adjective, adverb2

Same as Etymology 3, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

flush · noun, verb3

Probably from Etymology 1, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

flush · noun4

  1. Middle English · inherited fromflushe
  2. English todayflush

Various similar terms are found in dialectal English and Scots as flash and flosh (older Scots flosche), and the variation goes back to Middle English flushe, flosche, flashe, flaske. The DSL suggests a relation between flush, English flash (“pool”), and Middle English flosche, but influence from other water-related senses of flush and flash is also conceivable.

flush · noun5

  1. Middle French · derived fromflus“flow”
  2. English todayflush

Probably from Middle French flus (“flow”), cognate with flux.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.