Flaky
/ˈfleɪki/noun
Having or made of thin, brittle pieces that break or peel off easily; also informal for unreliable.
Did you know?The modern slang sense of “flaky” as unreliable is a metaphorical extension of the older physical sense, where a thing breaks into thin flakes or scales.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
Eng
flæc
“A flake or fragment; a thin piece that breaks off.”
Middle English
Eng
flake
“A small, thin piece broken or peeled from a surface.”
Late Middle English
Eng
flaky
“Having the nature of flakes; scaly or friable.”
19th Century
Eng
flaky
“Loose, friable, or made of thin layers; later, figuratively, unreliable or eccentric.”
Modern English
Eng
flaky
“Breaking into thin pieces; informal: unreliable or eccentric.”