Word: fly Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *plew- Proto-Indo-European *plewk- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *pléwketi Proto-Germanic *fleuganą Proto-West Germanic *fleugan Old English flēogan Middle English fliender. English fly From Middle English flei, fley, fleye, fleȝhenn, flien, fliȝe, flyen, flyyn, from Old English flēgan, flēogan, from Proto-West Germanic *fleugan, from Proto-Germanic *fleuganą (“to fly”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to flow, fly, run; to splash”), enlargement of *plew- (“to flow, fly, run”). Compare Etymology 1. Cognates Cognate with Scots flei (“to fly”), Yola vlee (“to fly”), North Frisian fli, fliin, fliine, fliinj, flä, fläie, flö (“to fly”), Saterland Frisian fljoge, fljooge (“to fly”), West Frisian fleane (“to fly”), Central Franconian fleeje (“to fly”), Dutch vliegen (“to fly”), Low German flegen (“to fly”), German fliegen (“to fly”), Luxembourgish fléien (“to fly”), Vilamovian fłig (“to fly”), Yiddish פֿליִען (flien, “to fly”), Danish flyve (“to fly”), Faroese fljúgva, flúgva (“to fly”), Icelandic fljúga (“to fly”), Norwegian Bokmål fly, flyge, flyve (“to fly”), Norwegian Nynorsk fljuga, fly, flyga, flyge (“to fly”), Scanian flyğa (“to fly”), Swedish flyga (“to fly”); also Cornish lew (“rudder”), Old Irish luí (“rudder”), Welsh llyw (“rudder”), Latin pluit, pluō (“to rain”), Ancient Greek πλέω (pléō, “to sail; to float”), Lithuanian plaukti (“to swim; to float”), Bulgarian пля́скам (pljáskam, “to slap; to clap; to splash; to jabber; to blemish”), Czech pleskat (“to slap; to flap, lap”), Macedonian плеска (pleska, “to slap”), Russian плеска́ть (pleskátʹ, “to splash”), Serbo-Croatian пље̏скати, pljȅskati (“to applaud; to slap”), Ukrainian плеска́ти (pleskáty, “to splash”), Armenian լուանալ (luanal), լվալ (lval), լվանալ (lvanal, “to wash”), Tocharian A and Tocharian B plu- (“to fly”), Sanskrit प्लु (plu, “to float; to sail”). More at flee and flow. Pronunciation: /ˈflaɪ̯/, [ˈflaɪ̯], /ˈflɑɪ̯/, [ˈflɑ̟ɪ̯], /ˈflɒɪ̯/ 1. To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface. Labels: intransitive Example: Birds of passage fly to warmer regions as it gets colder in winter. Example: The Concorde flew from Paris to New York faster than any other passenger airplane. 2. To flee, to escape (from). Labels: ambitransitive, archaic, poetic Example: Fly, my lord! The enemy are upon us! Example: [V]pon a ſodaine, / As Falſtaffe, ſhe, and I, are newly met, / Let them [children dressed like "urchins, ouphes and fairies"] from forth a ſaw-pit ruſh at once / With ſome diffuſed ſong: Vpon their ſight / We two, in great amazedneſſe will flye: […] 3. To cause to fly (travel or float in the air): to transport via air or the like. Labels: ergative, transitive Example: Charles Lindbergh flew his airplane The Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic ocean. Example: Why don’t you go outside and fly kites, kids? The wind is just perfect. 4. To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten. Labels: intransitive Example: He flew down the hill on his bicycle. Example: It's five o'clock already. Doesn't time fly? 5. To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly. Labels: intransitive Example: a door flies open Example: a bomb flies apart 6. To proceed with great success. Labels: intransitive Example: His career is really flying at the moment. Example: One moment the company was flying high, the next it was on its knees. 7. To be accepted, come about or work out. Labels: colloquial, intransitive Example: Let's see if that idea flies. Example: You know, I just don't think that's going to fly. Why don't you spend your time on something better? 8. To display (a flag) on a flagpole. Labels: ergative, transitive 9. To hunt with a hawk. Labels: transitive Example: We'll fly the partridge, or go rouse the deer. 10. To be in the winged adult stage. Labels: intransitive Example: This species flies from late summer until frost.