Etymograph

English

flay

Flay comes from Middle English flayen ‘to put to flight’, from Proto-Germanic *flaugijaną ‘to let fly, cause to fly’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *plew- ‘flow’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*plew-‘flow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*plewk-‘to fly, flow, run’reconstructedenlargement of *plew-
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fleuganą‘to fly’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*flaugijaną‘to let fly, cause to fly’reconstructedcausative of *fleuganą
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150flīeġan‘to put to flight, disperse’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500flayen‘to put to flight’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1979flay

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*plew-‘flow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*plewk-‘to fly, flow, run’reconstructedenlargement of *plew-
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fleuganą‘to fly’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*flaugijaną‘to let fly, cause to fly’reconstructedcausative of *fleuganą
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150flīeġan‘to put to flight, disperse’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500flayen‘to put to flight’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1979flay

Earliest quotation: 1979, The Trial: “If they'd let me have my way, I could…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *plew- ‘flow’

flow, pneumonia, plutonium, plough, plover, flue, plutocracy, 24 more

through Proto-Indo-European *plewk- ‘to fly, flow, run’

fowler, flee, flock, floss, fogle, 10 more

through Proto-Germanic *fleuganą ‘to fly’

flight, fly, flew, flown, fowl, 4 more

Another origin of flay

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₂-‘flat, broad, plain’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pləksreconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπλάξpláx‘plane, plain, something flat’
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*flahaną‘to skin, to flay’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*flahan‘to skin, flay’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150flēan‘to flay, pull the skin off, skin’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500flen
  8. Englishtodayflay

Today it means

verb To cause to fly; put to flight; drive off (by frightening).

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *plew- / flay

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