Talk:flake
Online Etymology Dictionary claims some Old Norse word (deprecated template usage) flak as the origin for the Old English word. However, there is not such word in Old Norse and the corresponding one (according to ODS) is (deprecated template usage) fleka/(deprecated template usage) fleki. Interestingly, there is a Norwegian word flak which means torn piece. I think that claiming OE < Norwegian descendance would look strange, but here comes Bokmålsordboka on succor and explains that the Norwegian word descends from unattested ON *(deprecated template usage) flaga and I am fairly convinced that this provides the solution to the issue whence the OE word was borrowed - the answer is English flake < OE ... < ON *(deprecated template usage) flaga ( > Norwegian (deprecated template usage) flak). Are there any objections against putting the italicised text in the etymology section? Bogorm 12:57, 22 February 2009 (UTC)
- Yes. ON (deprecated template usage) flaga seems more analogous to English flay to me. Flake is a weird one... the OED say "of difficult etymology: possibly several distinct words have coalesced", so I am wary of any "simple" solution. It may have existed in OE, though it's not attested before Chaucer. OED also suggests ON (deprecated template usage) flóke as cognate. I don't think we can reasonably just invent a solution, however tempting, unless there is some authority for it. Ƿidsiþ 16:54, 26 February 2009 (UTC)
- I wonder if fleck and perhaps flock (etymology 2) belong to the words which merged in flake. --Florian Blaschke (talk) 01:31, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
- In my opinion the word fictus ( made, false) gives fake. The word sectus, cut gives sake ( safety), the word rectus gives rake(garden tool), the word coctus (cooked)gives cake, the word lectus( bed,choosen) gives lake and so the word flectus( curved) is a cognate of flake. --Mark Mage 15:13, 23 April 2009 (UTC)
- I must commend you for your attempt at finding a regular pattern, but your proposals are unfortunately untenable. --Florian Blaschke (talk) 01:31, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
Additional definition
[edit]The word flake also refers to a unit of a bale of hay or straw. Would this simply be a part of the first definition or worthy of its own? Machdelu (talk) 13:53, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
- I think it would be covered under the first definition as per "a thin chiplike layer". --Dmol (talk) 20:17, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
The following discussion has been moved from Wiktionary:Requests for cleanup (permalink).
This discussion is no longer live and is left here as an archive. Please do not modify this conversation, but feel free to discuss its conclusions.
Tagged but not listed. --Connel MacKenzie 21:13, 3 June 2007 (UTC)