英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

flowery (adj.)[flowery 词源字典]: mid-14c., from flower (n.) + -y (2). Figurative sense "richly embellished," in reference to language, is from c. 1600. Related: Floweriness.[flowery etymology, flowery origin, 英语词源]
flown: past participle of fly (v.), from Middle English flogen, flowen. Also formerly the past participle of flow (v.).
Floyd: masc. proper name, variant of Lloyd.
flu (n.): 1839, flue, shortening of influenza. Spelling flu attested from 1893. The abstraction of the middle syllable is an uncommon method of shortening words in English; Weekley compares tec for detective, scrip for subscription.
flub (v.): "botch, bungle," 1924, American English, of uncertain origin, perhaps suggested by fluff, flop, etc. Related: Flubbed; flubbing. As a noun, by 1952.
fluctuant (adj.): "moving like a wave," 1550s, from Latin fluctuantem (nominative fluctuans), present participle of fluctuare "to move in waves" (see fluctuation).
fluctuate (v.): 1630s, from Latin fluctuatus, past participle of fluctuare "to undulate" (see fluctuation). Related: Fluctuated; fluctuates; fluctuating.
fluctuation (n.): mid-15c., from Old French fluctuacion (12c.) or directly from Latin fluctuationem (nominative fluctuatio) "a wavering, vacillation," noun of action from past participle stem of fluctuare "to undulate, to move in waves," from fluctus "a wave, billow, surge, a flowing," from past participle of fluere "to flow" (see fluent).
flue (n.): "smoke channel in a chimney," 1580s, of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Middle English flue, flewe "mouthpiece of a hunting horn" (early 15c.), which is perhaps from Old French fluie "stream;" or the modern word is perhaps from Old English flowan "to flow." Originally a small chimney in a furnace connected to the main chimney.
fluency (n.): 1620s, "abundance;" 1630s, "smooth and easy flow," from fluent + -cy. Replaced earlier fluence (c. 1600).
fluent (adj.): 1580s, "flowing freely" (of water), also, of speakers, "able and nimble in the use of words," from Latin fluentem (nominative fluens) "lax, relaxed," figuratively "flowing, fluent," present participle of fluere "to flow, stream, run, melt," from extended form of PIE root *bhleu- "to swell, well up, overflow" (cognates: Latin flumen "river;" Greek phluein "to boil over, bubble up," phlein "to abound"), an extension of root *bhel- (2) "to blow, inflate, swell;" see bole. Used interchangeably with fluid (adj.) in 17c. in the sense "changeable, not rigid." Related: Fluently.
fluff (n.): "light, feathery stuff," 1790, apparently a variant of floow "wooly substance, down, nap" (1580s), perhaps from Flemish vluwe, from French velu "shaggy, hairy," from Latin vellus "fleece," or Latin villus "tuft of hair" (see velvet). OED suggests fluff as "an imitative modification" of floow, "imitating the action of puffing away some light substance." Slang bit of fluff "young woman" is from 1903. The marshmallow confection Fluff dates to c. 1920 in Massachusetts, U.S.
fluff (v.): "to shake into a soft mass," 1875, from fluff (n.). Meaning "make a mistake" is from 1884, originally in theater slang. Related: Fluffed; fluffing.
fluffy (adj.): "containing or resembling fluff," 1825, from fluff (n.) + -y (2). Related: Fluffiness.
flugelhorn (n.): 1854, from German flügelhorn, from flügel "wing" (related to fliegen "to fly;" see fly (v.1)) + horn "horn" (see horn (n.)).
fluid (adj.): early 15c., "liquid, capable of flowing," from Middle French fluide (14c.) and directly from Latin fluidus "fluid, flowing, moist," from fluere "to flow" (see fluent). Figurative use, of non-material things, "not fixed or rigid," from 1640s. Related: Fluidly.
fluid (n.): "substance capable of flowing," 1660s, from fluid (adj.). Related: Fluidal (1869), fluidic (1821, Marmaduke Tulket).
fluidity (n.): c. 1600, from French fluidité, from fluide (see fluid (adj.)), or else formed in English from fluid.
fluke (n.1): "flat end of an arm of an anchor," 1560s, perhaps from fluke (n.3) on resemblance of shape, or from Low German flügel "wing." Transferred meaning "whale's tail" (in plural, flukes) is by 1725, so called from resemblance.
fluke (n.2): "lucky stroke, chance hit," 1857, also flook, said to be originally a lucky shot at billiards, of uncertain origin. Century Dictionary connects it with fluke (n.1) in reference to the whale's use of flukes to get along rapidly (to go a-fluking or some variant of it, "go very fast," is in Dana, Smythe, and other sailors' books of the era). OED (2nd ed. print) allows only that it is "Possibly of Eng. dialectal origin."