English
flake
Flake comes from Middle English flake ‘a flake of snow’.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500flake‘a flake of snow’
- Englishearliest quotation 1634same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500flake‘a flake of snow’
- Englishearliest quotation 1634same form
Earliest quotation: 1634, Nathaniel Boteler: “Admiral: What mean you by flakes? Captain: They are…”
Every English word from Middle English flake
Today it means
noun A loose filmy mass or a thin chiplike layer of anything
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English flake / flake