Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/flagil

This Proto-West Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-West Germanic

Etymology

Origin disputed. Most sources state the term is most likely borrowed from Latin flagellum (“flail, small whip”).^[1]^[2]^[3]

Alternatively, and perhaps less likely, the term is possibly a native formation inherited from Proto-Germanic *flagilaz, from the verb Proto-Germanic *flahaną (“to skin, flay”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂g-, *pleh₂k- (“to beat, strike”), from *pel- (“to beat, push”) + *-ilaz (masculine agent suffix); related to Proto-Germanic *flagǭ (“a blow, strike, hit”), *flōkaną (“to beat, strike”), *flakkōną (“to beat”), and therefore distantly related to English flag, flack. For an example of another term previously considered to be derived from the Latin due to coincidental semblance of form and meaning, see English pluck.

Noun

*flagil m

flail (agricultural tool)

Inflection

Masculine a-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*flagil
Genitive	*flagilas
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*flagil	flagilō, flagilōs
Accusative	*flagil	*flagilā
Genitive	*flagilas	*flagilō
Dative	*flagilē	*flagilum
Instrumental	*flagilu	*flagilum

Descendants

Old English: fliġel, *fleġel
- Middle English: fleyl, flaell, flayl, flayle, flayll, fleel, fleil, fleyle, fleȝȝl (Ormulum)
  - English: flail (dialectal frail)
  - Scots: flail
  - Yola: vleal
Old Frisian: fleil, flail m; fleile, flaile f
- North Frisian:
  Föhr-Amrum: flaiel, flailer
  
  Helgoland: Vlaien
  
  Mooring and Sylt:
  Mooring: floil
  
  Sylt: Flail
  
  Wiedingharde:
  Emsbull: flöiel
  
  Rodenäs: floil, floi
- Saterland Frisian: Floaine
- West Frisian: fleil, flaaiel
Old Saxon: flegil
- Middle Low German: vlegel, plegel
  - Low German: Flegel
  - Plautdietsch: Fläajel
  - → Danish: plejl
  - → North Frisian:
    Halligen: fläägel
  - → Saterland Frisian: Flägel
Old Dutch: *flegil
- Middle Dutch: vlegel, vleil
  - Dutch: vlegel
    - Afrikaans: vleël
  - Limburgish: vlegel
  - West Flemish: fleil
  - → Old Frisian: flēgel
    - West Frisian: fleagel, flegel (Hindeloopen, Schiermonnikoog)
Old High German: flegil
- Middle High German: vlegel, pflegel
  - Alemannic German: Pflegel
    Alsatian: Flejl
  - Central Franconian: Fleel, Fliel
    Hunsrik: Fleghel
  - German: Flegel, Pflegel (archaic)
  - East Franconian: Flechl, Flegl, Fleichl
  - Luxembourgish: Fléiwel, Fleel, Fléiel
  - Rhine Franconian: Flejel
    Hessian: Fleel, Flechl, Fleschl
    Palatine German: Fleel, Flechel, Flejel, Fliel
  - Vilamovian: fłygel

References

^ Norbruis, Stefan (2015) “flegel”, in Etymological Dictionary of West Frisian Farming Vocabulary‎^[1], Leiden: Leiden University, pages 21-22: “*flagila- n. ‘flail’ (<(<) Lat. flagellum n. ‘whip; flail’)”..
^ Philippa, Marlies, Debrabandere, Frans, Quak, Arend, Schoonheim, Tanneke, van der Sijs, Nicoline (2003–2009) “vlegel”, in Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands‎^[2] (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press
^ Friedrich Kluge (2011) “Flegel”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 25th edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN

[1] Norbruis, Stefan (2015) “flegel”, in Etymological Dictionary of West Frisian Farming Vocabulary‎^[1], Leiden: Leiden University, pages 21-22: “*flagila- n. ‘flail’ (<(<) Lat. flagellum n. ‘whip; flail’)”..

[2] Philippa, Marlies, Debrabandere, Frans, Quak, Arend, Schoonheim, Tanneke, van der Sijs, Nicoline (2003–2009) “vlegel”, in Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands‎^[2] (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press

[3] Friedrich Kluge (2011) “Flegel”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 25th edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN

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