fly

fly · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*plew-
2. Proto-Indo-European*plewk-
3. Proto-Indo-European*pléwketi
4. Proto-Germanic*fleuganądeverb.
5. Proto-Germanic*fleugǭ
6. Proto-West Germanic*fleugā
7. Old Englishflēoge
8. Middle Englishflye
9. English todayfly

From Middle English fflye, flehe, flei, fleie, fley, fleye, fleȝe, flie, fliȝe, flye, vliȝe, vlye, from Old English flēge, flēoge, flīeġe (“a fly”), from Proto-West Germanic *fleugā, from Proto-Germanic *fleugǭ (“a fly”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to flow, fly, run; to splash”), enlargement of *plew- (“to flow, fly, run”). Cognates Cognate with Scots flee, flei (“fly”), North Frisian fleeg (“fly”), Saterland Frisian Fljooge (“fly”), Alemannic German Flüüge (“fly”), Cimbrian blòiga, vlòiga (“fly”), Dutch vlieg (“fly”), German Fliege (“fly”), Low German Fleeg (“fly”), Vilamovian fłig, fłyjǵ (“fly”), Yiddish פֿליג (flig, “fly”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål flue (“fly”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Swedish fluga (“fly”), Norwegian Nynorsk fluga, fluge, fluggu, flugu (“fly”).

fly · verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European*plew-
2. Proto-Indo-European*plewk-
3. Proto-Indo-European*pléwketi
4. Proto-Germanic*fleuganą
5. Proto-West Germanic*fleugan
6. Old Englishflēogan
7. Middle Englishflien
8. English todayfly

From Middle English flei, fley, fleye, fleȝhenn, flien, fliȝe, flyen, flyyn, from Old English flēgan, flēogan, from Proto-West Germanic *fleugan, from Proto-Germanic *fleuganą (“to fly”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to flow, fly, run; to splash”), enlargement of *plew- (“to flow, fly, run”). Compare Etymology 1. Cognates Cognate with Scots flei (“to fly”), Yola vlee (“to fly”), North Frisian fli, fliin, fliine, fliinj, flä, fläie, flö (“to fly”), Saterland Frisian fljoge, fljooge (“to fly”), West Frisian fleane (“to fly”), Central Franconian fleeje (“to fly”), Dutch vliegen (“to fly”), Low German flegen (“to fly”), German fliegen (“to fly”), Luxembourgish fléien (“to fly”), Vilamovian fłig (“to fly”), Yiddish פֿליִען (flien, “to fly”), Danish flyve (“to fly”), Faroese fljúgva, flúgva (“to fly”), Icelandic fljúga (“to fly”), Norwegian Bokmål fly, flyge, flyve (“to fly”), Norwegian Nynorsk fljuga, fly, flyga, flyge (“to fly”), Scanian flyğa (“to fly”), Swedish flyga (“to fly”); also Cornish lew (“rudder”), Old Irish luí (“rudder”), Welsh llyw (“rudder”), Latin pluit, pluō (“to rain”), Ancient Greek πλέω (pléō, “to sail; to float”), Lithuanian plaukti (“to swim; to float”), Bulgarian пля́скам (pljáskam, “to slap; to clap; to splash; to jabber; to blemish”), Czech pleskat (“to slap; to flap, lap”), Macedonian плеска (pleska, “to slap”), Russian плеска́ть (pleskátʹ, “to splash”), Serbo-Croatian пље̏скати, pljȅskati (“to applaud; to slap”), Ukrainian плеска́ти (pleskáty, “to splash”), Armenian լուանալ (luanal), լվալ (lval), լվանալ (lvanal, “to wash”), Tocharian A and Tocharian B plu- (“to fly”), Sanskrit प्लु (plu, “to float; to sail”). More at flee and flow.

fly · noun³

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*flugiz
2. Old English · inherited fromflyġe“flying, flight”
3. Middle English · inherited fromflye“flying, flight”
4. English todayfly

From Middle English flye (“flying, flight”), from Old English flyġe (“flying, flight”), from Proto-Germanic *flugiz.

fly · adjective⁴

Uncertain; probably from the verb or noun.

fly · noun⁵

Related to German Flügel (“a wing”), Dutch vleugel (“a wing”), Swedish flygel (“a wing”).

Fly · proper noun⁶

The Fly was first discovered by Europeans in 1845 when Francis Blackwood, commanding the corvette HMS Fly, surveyed the western coast of the Gulf of Papua. The river was named after his ship and he proclaimed that it would be possible for a small steam-powered boat to travel up the mighty river.

Words from the same roots