Fleshly
/ˈflɛʃ.li/noun
Relating to the body, physical desire, or sensual appetites.
Did you know?In Middle English, *fleshly* was often used in moral and religious writing to contrast earthly bodily desire with spiritual discipline, giving the word a built-in tension between temptation and restraint.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pleu-
“to flow, wash, or float”
Old English
OE
flǣsc
“flesh, the soft substance of the body”
Middle English
ME
fleschli
“of the flesh; bodily; sensual”
14th Century
English
fleshely
“pertaining to the body or to carnal desire”
Modern English
English
fleshly
“relating to the body or sensual appetites”
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