Flagging

[shewhomust]

We were discussing flagstones, and whether they were so named because they are large, flat and rectangular, as a flag would be if it were laid out on the ground. Short answer: no.

1. Flag, as in banner, ensign etc., is of unknown origin, but related to the DAnish flag, Dutch vlag and German Flagge.


2. Flag, as in flagstone, comes from the Old Norse flaga, meaning "la slab". I was right that the German flach means "flat, level", but my German dictionary doesn't give etymologies, so I don't know if this is related.


3. While we are at it, the flag which is a wild iris is of obscure etymology - presumably this is not the same as unknown origin, but I don't know what the distinction is - and may be compared to the Dutch flag.


4. And to flag, droop or grow listless, derives ultimately from the Latin flaccus.

Four homonyms, four different derivations - that's not bad going.

And in other linguistic news, Mr Pepys pimps his bitch.

Comments

[durham-rambler.livejournal.com]

[Cf. Icel. flag neut. the spot where a turf has been cut out, ON. flaga wk. fem. slab of stone (cogn. with FLAY v.); these appear in Eng. as FLAW n.¹, but some dialects have app. retained -ag- in adoption of ON. words. Cf. also FLAKE n.², FLAUGHT¹.]

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

That's from the OED, is it?

[durham-rambler.livejournal.com]

Yes, I meant to put that in the heading. It's the online version, available free via Durham County Libraries — I won't give a link as you have to be a member to log in, but plenty of other libraries offer similar access to their members. Also to the Dictionary of National Biography, Grove Music Encyclopedia, and others.