English
flesh
Flesh comes from Proto-West Germanic *flaiski ‘meat, flesh’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *flaiski.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*flaiski‘meat, flesh’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame form‘meat, flesh’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150flǣsċ
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500flesh
- Englishearliest quotation 1485same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*flaiski‘meat, flesh’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame form‘meat, flesh’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150flǣsċ
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500flesh
- Englishearliest quotation 1485same form
Earliest quotation: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, ij: “Thenne syr launcelot sayd / fader what shalle I…”
Every English word from Proto-Germanic *flaiski
Today it means
noun The soft tissue of the body, especially muscle and fat.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *flaiski / flesh