fledge

fledge
\ \ [16] The notion underlying fledge is the ‘ability to fly’. Historically, the idea of ‘having feathers’ is simply a secondary development of that underlying notion. The verb comes from an obsolete adjective fledgefeathered’, which goes back ultimately to a pre-historic West Germanic *fluggja (source also of German flüggefledged’). This was derived from a variant of the base which produced English fly. There is no immediate connection with fletcherarrowmaker’ [14], despite the formal resemblance and the semantic connection with ‘putting feathered flights on arrows’, but further back in time there may be a link. Fletcher came from Old French flechier, a derivative of flechearrow’. A possible source for this was an unrecorded Frankish *fliugika, which, like fledge, could be traceable back to the same Germanic ancestor as that of English fly.
\ \ Cf.FLY

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Fledge — Fledge, a. [OE. flegge, flygge; akin to D. vlug, G. fl[ u]gge, fl[ u]cke, OHG. flucchi, Icel. fleygr, and to E. fly. [root]84. See {Fly}, v. i.] Feathered; furnished with feathers or wings; able to fly. [1913 Webster] His shoulders, fledge with… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fledge — fledge·less; fledge; fledge·ling; …   English syllables

  • Fledge — Fledge, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. {Fledged}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Fledging}.] 1. To furnish with feathers; to supply with the feathers necessary for flight. [1913 Webster] The birds were not as yet fledged enough to shift for themselves. L Estrange.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fledge — is the stage in a young bird s life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of raising chicks to a fully grown state by the chick s parents. A young bird that has recently fledged but is …   Wikipedia

  • fledge — O.E. * flycge (Kentish flecge), from W.Gmc. *fluggja (Cf. M.Du. vlugge, Low Ger. flügge), from root meaning to fly (see FLY (Cf. fly) (v.)). Originally an adjective meaning having the feathers, fit to fly. As a verb, it is first attested in… …   Etymology dictionary

  • fledge — ► VERB 1) (of a young bird) develop wing feathers that are large enough for flight. 2) bring up (a young bird) until its wing feathers are developed enough for flight. ORIGIN from Old English, «ready to fly»; related to FLY(Cf. ↑flyable) …   English terms dictionary

  • fledge — [flej] vi. fledged, fledging [< ME flegge, ready to fly < OE (un)flycge, (un)fledged, akin to MHG vlücke, MDu vlugghe: for IE base see FLY1] to grow the feathers necessary for flying vt. 1. to rear (a young bird) until it is able to fly 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • fledge — [16] The notion underlying fledge is the ‘ability to fly’. Historically, the idea of ‘having feathers’ is simply a secondary development of that underlying notion. The verb comes from an obsolete adjective fledge ‘feathered’, which goes back… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • fledge — verb (fledged; fledging) Etymology: fledge capable of flying, from Middle English flegge, from Old English flycge; akin to Old High German flucki capable of flying, Old English flēogan to fly more at fly Date: 1566 intransitive verb of a young… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • fledge — [flɛdʒ] verb (with reference to a young bird) develop or allow to develop wing feathers that are large enough for flight. Derivatives fledged adjective Origin C16: from the obs. adjective fledge ready to fly , from OE, of Gmc origin; related to… …   English new terms dictionary

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