fly

English Online Dictionary. What means fly‎? What does fly mean?

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: flī, IPA^(key): /flaɪ/
  • (US, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): [flaɪ]
  • (Standard Southern British) IPA^(key): [flɑj]
  • (Canada) IPA^(key): [flaɪ]
    • (dialectal) IPA^(key): [fləj]
  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): [flɑɪ]
• Rhymes: -aɪ

Etymology 1

From Middle English flye, flie, from Old English flȳġe, flēoge (“a fly”), from Proto-Germanic *fleugǭ (“a fly”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to fly”). Cognate with Scots flee, Saterland Frisian Fljooge, Dutch vlieg, German Low German Fleeg, German Fliege, Danish flue, Norwegian Bokmål flue, Norwegian Nynorsk fluge, Swedish fluga, Icelandic fluga.

Noun

fly (plural flies)

2. (zoology) Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies.
4. (non-technical) Especially, any of the insects of the family Muscidae, such as the common housefly (other families of Diptera include mosquitoes and midges).
6. Any similar but not closely related insect, such as a dragonfly, butterfly, or gallfly.
8. (fishing) A lightweight fishing lure resembling an insect.
10. (weightlifting) A chest exercise performed by moving extended arms from the sides to in front of the chest. (also flye)
12. (swimming) The butterfly stroke (plural is normally flys).
13. (obsolete) A witch's familiar.
14. (obsolete) A parasite.
15. (preceded by definite article) A simple dance in which the hands are shaken in the air, popular in the 1960s.
16. (finance) A butterfly (combination of four options).

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Further reading

• fly on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Category:Muscidae on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Etymology 2

From Middle English flien, from Old English flēogan, from Proto-Germanic *fleuganą (compare Saterland Frisian fljooge, Dutch vliegen, Low German flegen, German fliegen, Danish flyve, Norwegian Nynorsk flyga), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (*plew-k-, “to fly”) (compare Lithuanian plaũkti ‘to swim’), enlargement of *plew- (“flow”). More at flee and flow.

Verb

fly (third-person singular simple present flies, present participle flying, simple past flew, past participle flown)

1. (intransitive) To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface.
2. (ambitransitive, archaic, poetic) To flee, to escape (from).
3. (transitive, ergative) To cause to fly (travel or float in the air): to transport via air or the like.
4. (intransitive) To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten.

   He flew down the hill on his bicycle.

   It's five o'clock already. Doesn't time fly?

   • 1870, William Cullen Bryant (translator), The Iliad (originally by Homer)

     The dark waves murmured as the ship flew on.
5. (intransitive) To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly.
6. (intransitive) To proceed with great success.

7. (intransitive, colloquial, of a proposal, project or idea) To be accepted, come about or work out.

8. (transitive, ergative) To display (a flag) on a flagpole.
9. (transitive) To hunt with a hawk.
10. (intransitive, entomology, of a type of moth or butterfly) To be in the winged adult stage.

    This species flies from late summer until frost.

Conjugation

Synonyms

• (travel through air): soar, hover, wing, skim, glide, ascend, rise, float, aviate
• (flee): escape, flee, abscond; see also Thesaurus:flee
• (travel very fast): dart, flit; see also Thesaurus:move quickly
• (do an act suddenly): hurry, zoom; see also Thesaurus:rush

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “travel through air”): walk
• (antonym(s) of “flee”): remain, stay
• (antonym(s) of “travel very fast”): see also Thesaurus:move slowly

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

• fly agaric
• flight

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English flye (“flying, flight”), from Old English flyge (“flying, flight”), from Proto-Germanic *flugiz.

Noun

fly (plural flys or flies)

1. (obsolete) The action of flying; flight.
2. An act of flying.

3. (baseball) A fly ball.
4. (American football) Short for fly route.
5. A piece of canvas that covers the opening at the front of a tent.
6. (India, obsolete) The sloping or roof part of the canvas of a tent.
8. (often plural) A strip of material (sometimes hiding zippers or buttons) at the front of a pair of trousers, pants, underpants, bootees, etc.
   • February 2014 Y-Front Fly

     Y-Front is a registered trademark for a special front fly turned upside down to form a Y owned by Jockey® International. The first Y-Front® brief was created by Jockey® more than 70 years ago.

   • June 2014 The Hole In Men’s Underwear: Name And Purpose

     Briefs were given an opening in the front. The point of this opening (the ‘fly’) was to make it easier to pee with clothes on

9. (vexillology)
   2. The free edge of a flag.
   3. The horizontal length of a flag.
10. (weightlifting) An exercise that involves wide opening and closing of the arms perpendicular to the shoulders.
11. The part of a weather vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
12. (nautical) That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
13. Two or more vanes set on a revolving axis, to act as a fanner, or to equalize or impede the motion of machinery by the resistance of the air, as in the striking part of a clock.
14. Short for flywheel.
15. (historical) A type of small, light, fast horse-drawn carriage that can be hired for transportation (sometimes pluralised flys).

    Related terms: flyman

16. In a knitting machine, the piece hinged to the needle, which holds the engaged loop in position while the needle is penetrating another loop; a latch.
17. The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
18. (weaving) A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
19. (printing, historical)
    1. The person who took the printed sheets from the press.
    2. A vibrating frame with fingers, attached to a power printing press for doing the same work.
20. One of the upper screens of a stage in a theatre.
21. (cotton manufacture) Waste cotton.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 4

Verb

fly (third-person singular simple present flies, present participle flying, simple past and past participle flied)

1. (intransitive, baseball) To hit a fly ball; to hit a fly ball that is caught for an out. Compare ground (verb) and line (verb).

Translations

Etymology 5

Uncertain; probably from the verb or noun.

Adjective

fly (comparative flier or flyer, superlative fliest or flyest)

1. (slang, dated) Quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp.
2. (slang) Well dressed, smart in appearance; in style, cool.
3. (slang) Beautiful; displaying physical beauty.

Derived terms

• flycop
• flyness

Translations

Etymology 6

Related to German Flügel (“a wing”), Dutch vleugel (“a wing”), Swedish flygel (“a wing”).

Noun

fly (plural flies)

1. (rustic, Scotland, Northern England) A wing.

Etymology 7

Noun

fly (plural flies)

1. Alternative form of vly (“swamp (in New York)”).

References

• “fly”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• The Dictionary of the Scots Language

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈflyˀ]

Etymology 1

An abbreviation of flyvemaskine, after Norwegian fly and Swedish flyg.

Noun

fly n (singular definite flyet, plural indefinite fly)

1. airplane, aeroplane

   Synonyms: flyvemaskine, flyver

   Hypernym: luftfartøj

Inflection

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Norse flýja (“to flee”), from Proto-Germanic *fleuhaną, cognate with English flee, German fliehen, Dutch vlieden.

Verb

fly (present flyr or flyer, past tense flyede, past participle flyet)

1. (archaic) to flee
2. (archaic) to shun

Conjugation

Etymology 3

From Middle Low German vlī(g)en (“to stack, sort out”), cognate with Dutch vlijen (“to place”), from Proto-Germanic *flīhan, of unknown ultimate origin; possibly related to the root of *flaihijan (“to be sly, to flatter”), though the semantic gap is wide.

Verb

fly (present flyr or flyer, past tense flyede, past participle flyet)

1. (archaic) to hand, give

Conjugation

References

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flyː/

Etymology 1

Short form of flygemaskin

Noun

fly n (definite singular flyet, indefinite plural fly, definite plural flya or flyene)

1. plane, aeroplane (UK), airplane (US), aircraft

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Norse fljúga.

Alternative forms

• flyge

Verb

fly (imperative fly, present tense flyr, simple past fløy, past participle flydd or fløyet)

1. to fly

Derived terms

• glidefly

References

• “fly” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flyː/

Etymology 1

Clipping of flygemaskin (“flying machine”).

Noun

fly n (definite singular flyet, indefinite plural fly, definite plural flya)

2. plane, aeroplane (UK), airplane (US), aircraft

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Norse fljúga, from Proto-Germanic *fleuganą.

Alternative forms

• fljuga, fljuge, flyga, flyge

Verb

fly (present tense flyr or flyg, past tense flaug, supine floge, past participle flogen, present participle flygande, imperative fly or flyg)

2. (intransitive) to fly (to travel through air, another gas or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface)
3. (transitive, ergative) to cause to fly: to transport via air or the like
4. (intransitive) to run, move fast
5. (intransitive, chiefly about farm animals) to be in heat, rutting

Derived terms

Related terms

• fløygje

Adjective

fly (masculine and feminine fly, neuter flytt, definite singular and plural flye, comparative flyare, indefinite superlative flyast, definite superlative flyaste)

1. very steep

Noun

fly n (definite singular flyet, indefinite plural fly, definite plural flya)

1. a very steep cliff

Etymology 3

From Old Norse flýja, from Proto-Germanic *fleuhaną.

Verb

fly (present tense flyr, past tense flydde, past participle flytt/flydd, passive infinitive flyast, present participle flyande, imperative fly)

2. (intransitive) to escape; flee; run away

   Synonym: flykte

4. (transitive) to escape from

Etymology 4

Clipping of flygande (“flying”), present participle of fly.

Adverb

fly

1. (colloquial) Used as an intensifier for the word forbanna

Etymology 5

Compare with flye n (“flying insect”) and English fly.

Noun

fly f (definite singular flya, indefinite plural flyer, definite plural flyene)

1. small (flying) insect
2. (fishing) bait

Etymology 6

Noun

fly f (definite singular flya, indefinite plural flyer, definite plural flyene)

1. specks

   Synonyms: rusk, grann

Etymology 7

Noun

fly f (definite singular flya, indefinite plural flyer, definite plural flyene)

1. mountain plateau

   Synonyms: vidde, fjellvidde

Etymology 8

Uncertain, though may be related to flyta (“to float”).

Noun

fly n (definite singular flyet, indefinite plural fly, definite plural flya)

1. sump

Etymology 9

Related to, or possibly a doublet of flø, from Old Norse flór.

Adjective

fly (masculine and feminine fly, neuter flytt, definite singular and plural flye, comparative flyare, indefinite superlative flyast, definite superlative flyaste)

2. tepid

References

• “fly” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
• Ivar Aasen (1850) “fly”, in Ordbog over det norske Folkesprog‎^[8] (in Danish), Oslo: Samlaget, published 2000

Anagrams

• fyl

Scots

Adjective

fly

1. (slang, chiefly Doric) sneaky

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish flȳia, flȳa, from Old Norse flýja, from Proto-Germanic *fleuhaną.

Pronunciation

Verb

fly (present flyr, preterite flydde, supine flytt, imperative fly)

1. to flee, to run away, to escape

2. to pass, to go by (of time)

Conjugation

Derived terms

• fly fältet
• nattfly

Related terms

• flykt
• flykting

See also

• fly förbannad

References

• fly in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• fly in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• fly in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)