flet

See also: FLET, flét, and flēt

English

Alternative forms

• fleet, flette (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English flet (“floor of a house; house”), from Old English flet, flett (“the ground; the floor of a house; house; dwelling”), from Proto-Germanic *flatją (“a flat or level surface, level ground, floor, hallway”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“flat, broad”). Cognate with Dutch vlet (“flat-bottomed vessel, dory”), Low German Flet (“an upper bedroom”), German Fletz, Flötz (“level ground, threshing floor, hallway, set of rooms or benches”). More at flat.

Noun

flet (plural flets)

1. (rare or dialectal) Floor; bottom; lower surface.
2. (rare or dialectal) A house; home.

Anagrams

• Felt, felt, left, FELT, TEFL, Left

Albanian

Verb

flet

1. second-person singular present indicative of flas
2. third-person singular present indicative of flas

Danish

Verb

flet

1. imperative of flette

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch vlete.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

flet m (plural flets)

1. flounder (fish)

Further reading

• “flet”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Icelandic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *flatją.

Noun

flet n (genitive singular flets, nominative plural flet)

1. bunk

   Synonym: koja

Declension

Declension of flet (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	flet	fletið	flet	fletin
accusative	flet	fletið	flet	fletin
dative	fleti	fletinu	fletum	fletunum
genitive	flets	fletsins	fleta	fletanna

Further reading

• “flet” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈfɫɛt]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈflɛt̪]

Verb

flet

1. third-person singular present active indicative of fleō

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English flet, flett (“floor, ground; dwelling, house”), from Proto-Germanic *flatją (“floor”), from Proto-Germanic *flataz (“flat”), from Proto-Indo-European *plat- (“flat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flɛt/

Noun

flet (plural flets)

1. the floor, ground
   • c. 1400, Northern Verse Psalter:

     Cliued mi saule to þi flet.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. a dwelling, habitation, house, cottage, hall

   Þe lorde..Fyndez fire vpon flet, þe freke þer byside. — Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 1400

3. A (level) piece of ground; a battlefield

   Wiþ four othre meteþ he ... & fuld hem on þe flette. — Sir Firumbras, c1380

Descendants

• English: flet

References

• “flet, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Noun

flet

1. Alternative form of flete (“fleet”)

Old English

Alternative forms

• fled, flett

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *flatją (“floor”), from Proto-Germanic *flataz (“flat”), from Proto-Indo-European *plat- (“flat”). Akin to Old Frisian flet, flette (“dwelling, house”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flet/

Noun

flet n (nominative plural flet)

1. the floor, ground
   • Heó on flet gecrong ― She sank to the ground.
2. a dwelling, habitation, house, cottage, hall
   • Gif ðæt flet geblódgad wyrþe. ― If the house be stained with blood.

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	flet	flet
accusative	flet	flet
genitive	fletes	fleta
dative	flete	fletum

Derived terms

• fletræst (“couch”)
• fletsittend (“sitter in hall, courtier, guest”)
• fletwerod (“hall-troop, body-guard”)

Descendants

• Middle English: flet
  • English: flet

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Germanic *flautiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fleːt/

Noun

flēt f (nominative plural flēta)

1. Alternative form of flīete

Declension

Strong i-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	flēt	flēte, flēta
accusative	flēt, flēte	flēte, flēta
genitive	flēte	flēta
dative	flēte	flētum

References

• John R. Clark Hall (1916) “flet”, in A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, New York: Macmillan
• Joseph Bosworth, T. Northcote Toller (1898) “flet”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[2], second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *flatją. Related to flatr.

Noun

flet n

1. the raised flooring along the side walls of a hall (to sit or lie on) together with the benches thereon

Declension

Declension of flet (strong ja-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	flet	fletit	flet	fletin
accusative	flet	fletit	flet	fletin
dative	fleti	fletinu	fletjum	fletjunum
genitive	flets	fletsins	fletja	fletjanna

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “flet”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

Polish

flety

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle High German floit, flöute, vloite, from Old French fleute, from Old Occitan flaut.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈflɛt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛt
• Syllabification: flet

Noun

flet m inan (diminutive flecik)

1. flute (woodwind instrument)
2. recorder (musical instrument of the woodwind family; a type of fipple flute, a simple internal duct flute)

   Synonym: flet prosty

3. (historical) narrow and tall winecup

Declension

Declension of flet

	singular	plural
nominative	flet	flety
genitive	fletu	fletów
dative	fletowi	fletom
accusative	flet	flety
instrumental	fletem	fletami
locative	flecie	fletach
vocative	flecie	flety

Derived terms

adjective

• fletowy

nouns

• flecista
• flecistka
• flet piccolo
• fletnia

verb

• flecić impf

Related terms

adjective

• flecikowy

nouns

• fletnia Pana
• fletniarz
• fletnista
• fletnistka

Further reading

• flet in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• flet in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From Dutch flit, a genericized use of the brand name FLIT.

Noun

flet

1. liquid insecticide
2. spray gun

Verb

flet

1. to spray

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English flat.

Noun

flet

1. flat; apartment