fleogan

Old English

Alternative forms

• flēgan, flēga

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *fleugan, from Proto-Germanic *fleuganą, from Proto-Indo-European *plewk-.

Cognate with Old Frisian fliāga (West Frisian fleane), Old Saxon fliogan (Low German flegen), Old Dutch fliogan (Dutch vliegen), Old High German fliogan (German fliegen), Old Norse fljúga (Swedish flyga). The Proto-Indo-European root is also the source of Lithuanian plaũkti (“swim”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfle͜oː.ɡɑn/, [ˈfle͜oː.ɣɑn]

Verb

flēogan

1. to fly
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, Lives of Saints

     Efne þā on middere nihte wearþ myċel eorþstyrung, and godes enċġel flēah fǣrlīċe tō þām cwearterne...

     Behold! then, at midnight, there was a great earthquake, and the angel of god flew suddenly to the prison...

2. (figurative, by extension) to move quickly

Conjugation

Conjugation of flēogan (strong class 2)

infinitive	flēogan	flēogenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	flēoge	flēag, flēah
second person singular	flīeġst	fluge
third person singular	flīeġþ	flēag, flēah
plural	flēogaþ	flugon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	flēoge	fluge
plural	flēogen	flugen
imperative
singular	flēog, flēoh
plural	flēogaþ
participle	present	past
	flēogende	(ġe)flogen

Derived terms

• beflēogan
• flēoge

 

Related terms

• flyht
• floga

Descendants

• Middle English: flien, fleȝhenn, flyyn, fleye, flye, fliȝe, flei, fley, flyen, fleen, flen
  • English: fly
  • Scots: fle
  • Yola: vlee

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

fleog +‎ -an, related to fleoidhte (“flabby, flaccid”).

Noun

fleogan m (genitive singular fleogain)

1. untidy person
2. flabby person
3. any flatfish
4. sole (fish)
5. fluke
6. flounder

Synonyms

• (flounder): fleog, pacach-cearr, garbag, lèabag, lèabag-ghlas, leathag, leathag fìor-uisge