Flex
/flɛks/noun
To bend something or to tense and contract a muscle.
Did you know?Flex comes from Latin *flectere*, “to bend,” the same root behind words like *reflect* and *deflect*—so even your modern “power pose” is built on the ancient idea of bending force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰlegʰ-
“to bend, curve”
Latin
Latin
flectere
“to bend, turn, curve”
Late Latin
Latin
flexus
“bent, turned; a bending”
Old French
Old French
flexer
“to bend”
Late Middle English
English
flexen
“to bend, make pliant”
Modern English
English
flex
“to bend or tense a muscle; to show off”
Explore more surprising origins