Flies
/flaɪz/noun
Plural of fly; also the third-person singular present tense of fly.
Did you know?The insect word and the verb are not the same origin: the insect name comes from Old English *flȳge*/*flēoge*, while the verb comes from Proto-Germanic *flēhaną* and ultimately PIE *pleu-* meaning “to flow, run, fly.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pleu-
“to flow, swim, run, fly”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*fleuganą
“to fly”
Old English
OE
flēogan
“to fly”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*flugjō
“a flying insect”
Old English
OE
flȳge
“a fly, a flying insect”
Modern English
English
flies
“plural of fly; or present tense of fly”