pleu-

To flow.

Derivatives include pulmonary, Pluto, flow, fowl, flutter, and fluster.

I. Basic form *pleu-.

1. plover, pluvial, pluvious, from Latin pluere, to rain.

2. pleuston, from Greek pleusis, sailing.

3. Suffixed zero-grade form *plu-elos. pyelitis, from Greek dissimilated puelos, trough, basin.

4. Suffixed form *pl(e)u-mon-, “floater,” lung(s).

a. pulmonary, from Latin pulmō (< *plumonēs), lung(s);

b. pneumo-, pneumonia, pneumonic, from Greek pleumōn, pneumōn (influenced by pneuma, breath; see pneu-), lung.

5. Suffixed o-grade form *plou-to-. Pluto; plutocracy, plutography, from Greek ploutos, wealth, riches (< “overflowing”).

6. Lengthened o-grade form *plō(u)-.

a.

(i) flow, from Old English flōwan, to flow;

(ii) perhaps Middle Dutch vluwe, fishnet: flue². Both (i) and (ii) from Germanic *flōwan, to flow;

b. suffixed form *plō-tu-. flood, from Old English flōd, flood, from Germanic *flōduz, flowing water, deluge.

II. Extended form *pleuk-.

1. fly¹, from Old English flēogan, to fly, from Germanic *fleugan, to fly.

2. fly², from Old English flēoge, a fly, from Germanic *fleugōn-, flying insect, fly.

3. Probably Germanic *fleuhan, to run away. flee, from Old English flēon, to flee.

4. fley, from Old English flȳgan, flēgan, to put to flight, from Germanic causative *flaugjan.

5. flèche, fletcher, from Old French fleche, arrow, from Germanic suffixed form *fleug-ika.

6. Zero-grade form *pluk-.

a. fledge, from Old English *flycge, with feathers (only in unfligge, featherless), from Germanic *flugja-, feather;

b. flight¹, flight², from Old English flyht, act of flying, and *flyht, act of fleeing, escape, from Germanic suffixed form *flug-ti-;

c. fowl, from Old English fugol, bird, from Germanic *fuglaz, bird, dissimilated from possible (but unlikely) suffixed form *flug-laz;

d. flügelhorn, fugleman, from Middle High German vlügel, wing, from Germanic suffixed form *flug-ilaz.

III. Extended form *pleud-.

1. fleet¹, fleet², from Old English flēotan, to float, swim (from Germanic *fleutan), and Old Norse fljōtr, fleet, swift (from Germanic *fleutaz).

2. Zero-grade form *plud-.

a.

(i) float, from Old English flotian, to float;

(ii) flotsam, from Old French floter, to float. Both (i) and (ii) from Germanic derivative *flotōn, to float;

b. flotilla, from Old Norse floti, raft, fleet;

c. flutter, from Old English floterian, flotorian, to float back and forth (-erian, iterative and frequentative suffix);

d. flit, from Old Norse flytja, to further, convey, from Germanic *flutjan, to float. a-d all from Germanic *flut-, *flot-.

3. fluster, probably from a Scandinavian source akin to Icelandic flaustr, hurry, and flaustra, to bustle, from Germanic *flausta-, contracted from suffixed form *flaut-stā-, probably from *pleud-, o-grade *ploud-.

 

[Pokorny pleu- 835, pl(e)u-mon- 837.]

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