English
flicker
Flicker comes from Middle English flikeren ‘to flutter’, and goes back to Proto-West Germanic *flikurōn.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*flikurōnreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150flicerian‘to flutter’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500flikeren‘to flutter’
- Englishearliest quotation 1700flicker
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*flikurōnreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150flicerian‘to flutter’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500flikeren‘to flutter’
- Englishearliest quotation 1700flicker
Earliest quotation: 1700, John Dryden, Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.: “And flickering on her nest made short essays to…”
Every English word from Proto-West Germanic *flikurōn
Today it means
noun An unsteady flash of light.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *flikurōn / flicker