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header--1Mejf header__vanila--2dqaM header--top header__sticky--1w7Bc"><div class="header__vanila__container--CElq1"><div class="ant-row"><div class="ant-col-sm-17"><div class="inner--7ZeMs" data-role="header-inner"><div class="header__logo--12Lje" data-role="header-logo"><a href="/" title="Etymology"><img class="header__logo__image--2avl2" src="https://cdn.etymonline.com/web/logo.png" alt="Etymology"/></a></div><div class="header__searchbar--3yKr5" data-role="header-searchbar"><div class="searchform"><form class="searchbar--3dK8Z searchbar" action="/search"><div role="combobox" aria-haspopup="listbox" aria-owns="react-autowhatever-1" aria-expanded="false" class="searchbar__container--2VZd7"><input type="text" value="" autoComplete="off" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-controls="react-autowhatever-1" class="searchbar__input--3L4IY" id="search-bar-text-input" placeholder="Search" name="q" required="" autoCapitalize="off" autoCorrect="off" title="Type a word to search."/><div 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class="word__defination--2q7ZH"><p>Old English <span class="foreign notranslate">fleoge</span> "a fly, winged insect," from Proto-Germanic <span class="foreign notranslate">*fleugon</span> "flying insect" (source also of Old Saxon <span class="foreign notranslate">fleiga</span>, Old Norse <span class="foreign notranslate">fluga</span>, Middle Dutch <span class="foreign notranslate">vlieghe</span>, Dutch <span class="foreign notranslate">vlieg</span>, Old High German <span class="foreign notranslate">flioga</span>, German <span class="foreign notranslate">Fliege</span> "fly"); literally "the flying (insect)" (compare Old English <span class="foreign notranslate">fleogende</span> "flying"), from PIE root <a href="/word/*pleu-" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of *pleu- " rel="nofollow" class="crossreference notranslate">*pleu-</a> "to flow," which is also the source of <a href="/word/fly#etymonline_v_8956" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of fly " class="crossreference notranslate">fly</a> (v.1).</p> <p>Originally any winged insect (moths, gnats, beetles, locusts, hence <a href="/word/butterfly" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of butterfly " class="crossreference notranslate">butterfly</a>, etc.) and long used by farmers and gardeners for any insect parasite. <span class="foreign notranslate">Flies</span> figuratively for "large numbers" of anything is from 1590s. Plural <span class="foreign notranslate">flien</span> (as in <span class="foreign notranslate">oxen</span>, etc.) gradually normalized 13c.-15c. to <span class="foreign notranslate">-s</span>. <strong><span class="foreign notranslate">Fly in the ointment</span></strong> is from Eccles. x:1. <strong><span class="foreign notranslate">Fly on the wall</span></strong> "unseen observer" first recorded 1881. <strong><span class="foreign notranslate">No flies on _____</span></strong> "no lack of activity or alertness on the part of," is attested by 1866. Meaning "fish-hook dressed to resemble an insect" is from 1580s; <strong><span class="foreign notranslate">Fly-fishing</span></strong> is from 1650s. <strong><span class="foreign notranslate">Fly-catcher</span></strong> "bird which eats insects on the wing" is from 1670s. The <strong><span class="foreign notranslate">fly agaric</span></strong> mushroom (1788) so called because it was used as a poison for flies.</p></section><span></span></div></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa"><div><div class="" style="position:relative"><div id="etymonline_v_8956" style="position:absolute;top:-100px"></div><p title="Origin and meaning of fly" class="word__name--TTbAA">fly<!-- --> <!-- -->(v.1)</p><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH"><p>"to soar through air; move through the air with wings," Old English <span class="foreign notranslate">fleogan</span> "to fly, take flight, rise into the air" (class II strong verb; past tense <span class="foreign notranslate">fleag</span>, past participle <span class="foreign notranslate">flogen</span>), from Proto-Germanic <span class="foreign notranslate">*fleugan</span> "to fly" (source also of Old Saxon <span class="foreign notranslate">fliogan</span>, Old Frisian <span class="foreign notranslate">fliaga</span>, Middle Dutch <span class="foreign notranslate">vlieghen</span>, Dutch <span class="foreign notranslate">vliegen</span>, Old High German <span class="foreign notranslate">fliogan</span>, German <span class="foreign notranslate">fliegen</span>, Old Norse <span class="foreign notranslate">flügja</span>), from PIE <span class="foreign notranslate">*pleuk-</span>, extended form of root <a href="/word/*pleu-" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of *pleu- " rel="nofollow" class="crossreference notranslate">*pleu-</a> "to flow."</p> <p>Meaning "go at full speed" is from c. 1300. In reference to flags, 1650s. Transitive sense "cause to move or float in air" (as a flag, kite, etc.) is from 1739; sense of "convey through the air" ("Fly Me to the Moon") is from 1864. Related: <span class="foreign notranslate">Flew</span>; <span class="foreign notranslate">flied</span> (baseball); <a href="/word/flown" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of flown " class="crossreference notranslate">flown</a>; <a href="/word/flying" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of flying " class="crossreference notranslate">flying</a>. Slang phrase <span class="foreign notranslate">fly off the handle</span> "lose one's cool" dates from 1825.</p></section><span></span></div></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa"><div><div class="" style="position:relative"><div id="etymonline_v_8957" style="position:absolute;top:-100px"></div><p title="Origin and meaning of fly" class="word__name--TTbAA">fly<!-- --> <!-- -->(v.2)</p><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH"><p>"run away," Old English <span class="foreign notranslate">fleon</span>, <span class="foreign notranslate">flion</span> "fly from, avoid, escape;" essentially a variant spelling of <a href="/word/flee" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of flee " class="crossreference notranslate">flee</a> (q.v.). In Old English, this verb and <span class="foreign notranslate">fleogan</span> "soar through the air with wings" (modern <a href="/word/fly#etymonline_v_8956" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of fly " class="crossreference notranslate">fly</a> (v.1)) differed only in their present tense forms and often were confused, then as now. In some Middle English dialects they seem to have merged completely. Distinguished from one another since 14c. in the past tense: <span class="foreign notranslate">flew</span> for <span class="foreign notranslate">fly</span> (v.1), <span class="foreign notranslate">fled</span> for <span class="foreign notranslate">fly</span> (v.2).</p></section><span></span></div></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa"><div><div class="" style="position:relative"><div id="etymonline_v_40698" style="position:absolute;top:-100px"></div><p title="Origin and meaning of fly" class="word__name--TTbAA">fly<!-- --> <!-- -->(adj.)</p><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH"><p>slang, "clever, alert, wide awake," by 1811, perhaps from <a href="/word/fly#etymonline_v_8955" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of fly " class="crossreference notranslate">fly</a> (n.1) on the notion of the insect being hard to catch. Other theories, however, trace it to <a href="/word/fledge" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of fledge " class="crossreference notranslate">fledge</a> or <a href="/word/flash" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of flash " class="crossreference notranslate">flash</a>. Slang use in 1990s might be a revival or a reinvention.</p></section><div class="word__firstRecorded--3lZB8">also from<!-- --> <a rel="nofollow" class="word__firstRecorded_time--28qNE" href="/search?sort=a&q=from:1811">1811</a></div></div></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa"><div><div class="" style="position:relative"><div id="etymonline_v_56309" style="position:absolute;top:-100px"></div><p title="Origin and meaning of fly" class="word__name--TTbAA">fly<!-- --> <!-- -->(n.2)</p><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH"><p>"a flight, flying," mid-15c., <span class="foreign notranslate">flie</span>, from <a href="/word/fly#etymonline_v_8956" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of fly " class="crossreference notranslate">fly</a> (v.1) or Old English <span class="foreign notranslate">flyge</span>, corresponding to Old High German <span class="foreign notranslate">flug</span>.</p> <p>From the verb and the notion of "flapping as a wing does" comes the noun sense of "tent flap" (1810), which was extended to "strip of material sewn into a garment as a covering for buttons" or some other purpose (1844).</p> <p>Baseball <strong><span class="foreign notranslate">fly ball</span></strong> attested by 1866. To do something <strong><span class="foreign notranslate">on the fly</span></strong> is 1856, apparently also is from baseball.</p> <blockquote> When the catcher sees several fielders running to catch a ball, he should name the one he thinks surest to take it, when the others should not strive to catch the ball on the fly, but only, in case of its being missed, take it on the bound. ["The American Boys Book of Sports and Games," New York, 1864] </blockquote> <p><br/></p></section><div class="word__firstRecorded--3lZB8">also from<!-- --> <a rel="nofollow" class="word__firstRecorded_time--28qNE" href="/search?sort=a&q=from:mid-15c.">mid-15c.</a></div></div></div></div><div class="related--32LCi"><h3 class="h3_title" title="words related to fly">Entries linking to <i>fly</i></h3><div class="related__details--2kumU"><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of butterfly" href="/word/butterfly#etymonline_v_18153">butterfly<!-- --> <!-- -->(n.)<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div></div><p>common name of any lepidopterous insect active in daylight, Old English <span class="foreign notranslate">buttorfleoge</span>, evidently <a href="/word/butter#etymonline_v_18151" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of butter " class="crossreference notranslate">butter</a> (n.) + <a href="/word/fly" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of fly " class="crossreference notranslate">fly</a> (n.), but the name is of obscure signification. Perhaps based on the old notion that the insects (or, according to Grimm, witches disguised as butterflies) consume butter or milk that is left uncovered. Or, less creatively, simply because the pale yellow color of many species' wings suggests the color of butter. Another theory connects it to the color of the insect's excrement, based on Dutch cognate <span class="foreign notranslate">boterschijte</span>. Also see <a href="/word/papillon" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of papillon " class="crossreference notranslate">papillon</a>.</p> <p>Applied to persons from c. 1600, originally in reference to vain and gaudy attire; by 1806 in reference to transformation from early lowly state; in reference to flitting tendencies by 1873. The swimming stroke so called from 1935. As a type of mechanical nut, 1869. <span class="foreign notranslate"><strong>Butterflies</strong></span> "light stomach spasms caused by anxiety" is from 1908. <span class="foreign notranslate">Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?</span> is from Pope.</p> <blockquote> The butterfly effect is a deceptively simple insight extracted from a complex modern field. As a low-profile assistant professor in MIT's department of meteorology in 1961, [Edward] Lorenz created an early computer program to simulate weather. One day he changed one of a dozen numbers representing atmospheric conditions, from .506127 to .506. That tiny alteration utterly transformed his long-term forecast, a point Lorenz amplified in his 1972 paper, "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?" [Peter Dizikes, "The Meaning of the Butterfly," The Boston Globe, June 8, 2008] </blockquote> <p>A truth known for ages to poets and philosophers (atomists) which modern science ponders as a possible fact.</p></section></div></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of flash" href="/word/flash#etymonline_v_8852">flash<!-- --> <!-- -->(v.)<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div></div><p>Middle English <span class="foreign notranslate">flashen</span>, <span class="foreign notranslate">flasken</span> (c. 1200), "sprinkle or splash (water, powder, etc.); to gush forth;" probably at least partly imitative (compare <span class="foreign notranslate">splash</span>, <span class="foreign notranslate">dash</span>), or in part from PIE <span class="foreign notranslate">*bhleu-</span> "to swell, well up," extended form of root <a href="/word/*bhel-#etymonline_v_52653" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of *bhel- " rel="nofollow" class="crossreference notranslate">*bhel-</a> (2) "to blow, swell." From c. 1400, of birds, "to dart or flit" also, of fire, "burst into flames." Some of the extended senses perhaps are from Scandinavian. Meanings "burst suddenly into view" (intransitive) and "emit or send forth suddenly" (transitive) are from 1580s. the Sense of "expose the genitals" is recorded by 1846. Related: <span class="foreign notranslate">Flashed</span>; <a href="/word/flashing" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of flashing " class="crossreference notranslate">flashing</a>. <span class="foreign notranslate">Flash card</span> is from 1923.</p></section></div></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div></div><ul class="related__container--22iKI"><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of fledge" href="/word/fledge"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">fledge</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of flee" href="/word/flee"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">flee</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of flown" href="/word/flown"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">flown</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of flying" href="/word/flying"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">flying</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of barfly" href="/word/barfly"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">barfly</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of blow-fly" href="/word/blow-fly"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">blow-fly</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of dragonfly" href="/word/dragonfly"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">dragonfly</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of firefly" href="/word/firefly"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">firefly</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of fled" href="/word/fled"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">fled</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of flew" href="/word/flew"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">flew</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of fly-by-night" href="/word/fly-by-night"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">fly-by-night</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of flyer" href="/word/flyer"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">flyer</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of fly-over" href="/word/fly-over"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">fly-over</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of flypaper" href="/word/flypaper"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">flypaper</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of fly-swatter" href="/word/fly-swatter"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">fly-swatter</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of flyway" href="/word/flyway"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">flyway</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of flywheel" href="/word/flywheel"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">flywheel</li></a><a target="_self" title="Origin and meaning of fugleman" href="/word/fugleman"><li class="related__word--3Si0N">fugleman</li></a><a class="related__more--1gm0U related__word--3Si0N" href="/word/fly/related"><li>See all related words (<!-- -->29<!-- -->) <!-- -->></li></a></ul></div><div data-ad-container="true" class="adContainer--6CVz1 vertical" style="margin-top:1em"><span class="adLabel--35hfi">Advertisement</span><ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7093273770345366" style="display:block;width:100%" data-ad-slot="8757723469" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins></div><div class="ngram--SmXCf"><h3 class="h3_title" title="Trends of fly">Trends of <i>fly</i></h3><div class="ngram__container--NwjaG" style="height:200px"><canvas id="ngram-chart"></canvas></div><div class="ngram__footer--3-9dX">adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.</div></div><div class="related--32LCi"><h3 class="h3_title" title="More to Explore">More to Explore</h3><div class="related__details--2kumU"><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8" style="padding:10px 20px"><div><a class="recommended-word" rel="nofollow" data-recommended-type="linked" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of fledge" href="/word/fledge"><div class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="font-size:18px">fledge<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></div><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined word__etymology_limit_line--3DeZW" style="cursor:pointer">"to acquire feathers," 1560s, from Old English adjective *-flycge (Kentish -flecge; in unfligge "featherless," glossing Latin implumes) "having the feathers developed, fit to fly," from Proto-Germanic *flugja- "feather" (source also of Middle Dutch vlugge, Low German flügge), fro</section></a></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8" style="padding:10px 20px"><div><a class="recommended-word" rel="nofollow" data-recommended-type="linked" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of flee" href="/word/flee"><div class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="font-size:18px">flee<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></div><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined word__etymology_limit_line--3DeZW" style="cursor:pointer">Old English fleon, flion "take flight, fly from, avoid, escape" (contracted class II strong verb; past tense fleah, past participle flogen), from Proto-Germanic *fleuhanan "to run away" (source also of Old High German fliohan, Old Norse flöja, Old Frisian flia, Dutch vlieden, Ger</section></a></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8" style="padding:10px 20px"><div><a class="recommended-word" rel="nofollow" data-recommended-type="linked" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of flying" href="/word/flying"><div class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="font-size:18px">flying<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></div><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined word__etymology_limit_line--3DeZW" style="cursor:pointer">early 15c., replacing forms from Old English fleogende "flying, winged;" present-participle adjective from fly (v.1). The meaning "attached so as to have freedom of movement" (1670s) is the source of the nautical use (flying jib, etc.). Meaning "designed for rapid movement" (espe</section></a></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8" style="padding:10px 20px"><div><a class="recommended-word" rel="nofollow" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of mosquito" href="/word/mosquito"><div class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="font-size:18px">mosquito<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></div><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined word__etymology_limit_line--3DeZW" style="cursor:pointer">and draw blood through a piercing and sucking proboscis, 1580s, from Spanish mosquito "little gnat," diminutive of mosca "fly...," from Latin musca "fly," from PIE root *mu- "gnat, fly" (compare Sanskrit maksa-, Greek myia, Old English mycg, Modern...Mosquito-hawk as a name for a kind of dragon-fly which preys on mosquitoes is from 1737....</section></a></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8" style="padding:10px 20px"><div><a class="recommended-word" rel="nofollow" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of gadfly" href="/word/gadfly"><div class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="font-size:18px">gadfly<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></div><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined word__etymology_limit_line--3DeZW" style="cursor:pointer">also gad-fly, 1620s, "fly which bites cattle," probably from gad (n.)...Earlier bot-fly, from bot "skin parasite" (late 15c.)....</section></a></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8" style="padding:10px 20px"><div><a class="recommended-word" rel="nofollow" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of cantharides" href="/word/cantharides"><div class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="font-size:18px">cantharides<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></div><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined word__etymology_limit_line--3DeZW" style="cursor:pointer">late 14c., cantaride, type of beetle (the "Spanish fly"), especially as dried, ground up, and used medicinally to raise blisters..., from Latin plural of cantharis, from Greek kantharis "blister-fly, a kind of beetle."...</section></a></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8" style="padding:10px 20px"><div><a class="recommended-word" rel="nofollow" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of kite" href="/word/kite"><div class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="font-size:18px">kite<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></div><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined word__etymology_limit_line--3DeZW" style="cursor:pointer">The dismissive invitation to go fly a kite is attested by 1942, American English, probably tracing to the popular song of...the same name (lyrics by Johnny Burke), sung by Bing Crosby in "The Star Maker" (1939): Go fly a kite and tie your troubles...to the tail They'll be blown away by a merry gale, Go fly a kite and toss your worries to the wind And they won't...</section></a></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8" style="padding:10px 20px"><div><a class="recommended-word" rel="nofollow" data-recommended-type="other_relation" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of change" href="/word/change"><div class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="font-size:18px">change<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></div><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined word__etymology_limit_line--3DeZW" style="cursor:pointer">c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive), </section></a></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8" style="padding:10px 20px"><div><a class="recommended-word" rel="nofollow" data-recommended-type="other_relation" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of wing" href="/word/wing"><div class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="font-size:18px">wing<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></div><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined word__etymology_limit_line--3DeZW" style="cursor:pointer">late 12c., wenge, "forelimb fitted for flight of a bird or bat," also the part of some insects resembling a wing in form or function, from Old Norse vængr "wing of a bird, aisle, etc." (cognate with Danish and Swedish vinge "wing"), of unknown origin, perhaps from a Proto-Germani</section></a></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8" style="padding:10px 20px"><div><a class="recommended-word" rel="nofollow" data-recommended-type="other_relation" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of travel" href="/word/travel"><div class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="font-size:18px">travel<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></div><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined word__etymology_limit_line--3DeZW" style="cursor:pointer">late 14c., "to journey," from travailen (1300) "to make a journey," originally "to toil, labor" (see travail). The semantic development may have been via the notion of "go on a difficult journey," but it also may reflect the difficulty of any journey in the Middle Ages. Replaced </section></a></div><div style="clear:both"></div></div></div></div><div class="share-tool socialShare--223YS"><h3 title="Share fly to social networks" class="socialShare__title--34iP2">Share <i>fly</i></h3><div class="cite--1qJ-_ share-cite">‘<!-- -->cite<!-- -->’</div><a title="Share on Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etymonline.com%2Fword%2Ffly" data-social-target="Facebook" target="blank" rel="nofollow" class="fa share socialShare__icon--3FJac socialShare__icon__facebook--2fm3U fa-facebook"></a><a title="Share on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etymonline.com%2Fword%2Ffly&text=fly%20%7C%20Etymology%20of%20fly%20by%20etymonline" data-social-target="Twitter" target="blank" rel="nofollow" class="fa share socialShare__icon--3FJac socialShare__icon__twitter--1iFxf fa-twitter"></a><a title="Share on Reddit" href="https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etymonline.com%2Fword%2Ffly&title=fly%20%7C%20Etymology%20of%20fly%20by%20etymonline" data-social-target="Reddit" target="blank" rel="nofollow" class="fa share socialShare__icon--3FJac socialShare__icon__reddit--30bBu fa-reddit"></a><a title="Share on Email" href="mailto:?subject=fly%20%7C%20Etymology%20of%20fly%20by%20etymonline&body=%22a%20fly%2C%20winged%20insect%2C%22%20from%20Proto-Germanic%20*fleugon%20%22flying%20insect%22%20(source%20also%20of%20Old%E2%80%A6%20See%20origin%20and%20meaning%20of%20fly.%0Afrom%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etymonline.com%2Fword%2Ffly%20Find%20out%20more%20at%20etymonline.com" data-social-target="Email" target="blank" rel="nofollow" class="fa share socialShare__icon--3FJac socialShare__icon__email--3hVBm fa-email"></a><div class="cite__content--3ghsO cite-content"><div class="cite__content_title--3ABWh">Page URL:</div><textarea class="cite__content_textarea--3zgJO cite-textarea" readonly="">https://www.etymonline.com/word/fly</textarea><div class="cite__content_title--3ABWh">HTML Link:</div><textarea class="cite__content_textarea--3zgJO cite-textarea" readonly=""><a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/fly">Etymology of fly by etymonline</a></textarea><div class="cite__content_title--3ABWh">APA style:</div><textarea class="cite__content_textarea--3zgJO cite-textarea" readonly="">Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of fly. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/fly</textarea><div class="cite__content_title--3ABWh">Chicago style:</div><textarea class="cite__content_textarea--3zgJO cite-textarea" readonly="">Harper Douglas, “Etymology of fly,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/fly.</textarea><div class="cite__content_title--3ABWh">MLA style:</div><textarea class="cite__content_textarea--3zgJO cite-textarea" readonly="">Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of fly.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/fly. Accessed $(datetimeMla).</textarea><div class="cite__content_title--3ABWh">IEEE style:</div><textarea class="cite__content_textarea--3zgJO cite-textarea" readonly="">D. Harper. “Etymology of fly.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/fly (accessed $(datetime)).</textarea></div></div><p class="wordDetail__date--3r7r8">updated on July 16, 2024</p><div data-ad-container="true" class="adContainer--6CVz1 vertical" style="margin-top:1em"><span class="adLabel--35hfi">Advertisement</span><ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7093273770345366" style="display:block;width:100%" data-ad-slot="7656336158" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins></div></div><div class="ant-col-xs-24 ant-col-sm-24 ant-col-md-24 ant-col-lg-6"><div data-ad-container="true" class="adContainer--6CVz1 removeAdsContainer--3mV2b horizontal"><a href="/premium?utm_source=remove_ads"><div class="removeAdsBtn--2W3KN">Remove ads ></div></a><span class="adLabel--35hfi">Advertisement</span><div id="div-gpt-ad-pc-wd-right" style="min-width:300px;min-height:250px"></div></div><div class="trending__normal--2eWJF"><h3 class="h3_title">Trending words</h3><ul><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of horse" href="/word/horse">1<!-- -->. <!-- -->horse</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of ego" href="/word/ego">2<!-- -->. <!-- -->ego</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of king" href="/word/king">3<!-- -->. <!-- -->king</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of algebra" href="/word/algebra">4<!-- -->. <!-- -->algebra</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of night" href="/word/night">5<!-- -->. <!-- -->night</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of thank" href="/word/thank">6<!-- -->. <!-- -->thank</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of infantry" href="/word/infantry">7<!-- -->. <!-- -->infantry</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of gospel" href="/word/gospel">8<!-- -->. <!-- -->gospel</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of advent" href="/word/advent">9<!-- -->. <!-- -->advent</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of melancholy" href="/word/melancholy">10<!-- -->. <!-- -->melancholy</a></li></ul></div><div class="alphabetical--2oTZG"><h3 title="words in alphabetical order" class="h3_title">Dictionary entries near <i>fly</i></h3><a title="Origin and meaning of fluted" target="" rel="nofollow" href="/word/fluted"><p class="alphabetical__word--3UeP2">fluted</p></a><a title="Origin and meaning of flutist" target="" rel="nofollow" href="/word/flutist"><p class="alphabetical__word--3UeP2">flutist</p></a><a title="Origin and meaning of flutter" target="" rel="nofollow" href="/word/flutter"><p class="alphabetical__word--3UeP2">flutter</p></a><a title="Origin and meaning of fluvial" target="" rel="nofollow" href="/word/fluvial"><p class="alphabetical__word--3UeP2">fluvial</p></a><a title="Origin and meaning of flux" target="" rel="nofollow" href="/word/flux"><p class="alphabetical__word--3UeP2">flux</p></a><p class="alphabetical__word--3UeP2 alphabetical__active--FCYcm">fly</p><a title="Origin and meaning of fly-by-night" target="" rel="nofollow" href="/word/fly-by-night"><p class="alphabetical__word--3UeP2">fly-by-night</p></a><a title="Origin and meaning of flyer" target="" rel="nofollow" href="/word/flyer"><p class="alphabetical__word--3UeP2">flyer</p></a><a title="Origin and meaning of flying" target="" rel="nofollow" href="/word/flying"><p class="alphabetical__word--3UeP2">flying</p></a><a title="Origin and meaning of Flynn" target="" rel="nofollow" href="/word/Flynn"><p class="alphabetical__word--3UeP2">Flynn</p></a><a title="Origin and meaning of fly-over" target="" rel="nofollow" href="/word/fly-over"><p class="alphabetical__word--3UeP2">fly-over</p></a></div></div></div></div><div class="alphabet--3sMXd"><ul class="alphabet__inner--2NEtM"><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter A"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=a">A</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter B"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=b">B</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter C"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=c">C</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter D"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=d">D</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter E"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=e">E</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words 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