fleten

fleten

Middle English

Alternative forms

• fleoten, flete, fleetyn, fleete

Etymology

From Old English flēotan, from Proto-Germanic *fleutaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfleːtən/

Verb

fleten

1. To go or change position; to experience movement:
   1. To float; to stay buoyant on the surface of a liquid.
   2. To move or propel oneself in or on the water; to swim.
   3. To move on a vessel or raft across water; to be conveyed over a liquid.
   4. To stream or flow; to move smoothly as a liquid or fluid.
   5. (Late Middle English) To spread or propel throughout the air.
   6. (rare) To drag on the ground (used of clothing)
   7. (rare) To fly; to move across the sky.
2. To wander around; to have no direction or consistency.
3. To be ephemeral, fleeting, or temporary; to lack permanence.
4. (Late Middle English) To remove scum or cream from a fluid.
5. (rare) To have something in great or excessive quantity
6. (rare) To lack restraint in speech; to describe excessively.

Usage notes

Strong forms are mainly found in Early Middle English.

Conjugation

Conjugation of fleten (irregular weak/strong class 2)

infinitive	(to) fleten
indicative	present	past
1st person singular	flete	flet, flette, fleted
2nd person singular	fletest	flet, flette, fleted,
3rd person singular	fleteþ, fleteth	flet, flette, fleted
plural	fleten	fluten, flete(n), fleted(en)
subjunctive	present	past
singular	flete	*flute, *flette, *fletede
plural	fleten	fluten, flete(n), fleted(en)
imperative	present
singular	flete
plural	fleteþ, fleteth
participle	present	past
	fletende, fletinge	(y)flote(n), flette, fleted

Related terms

• flete (all ME senses)

Descendants

• English: fleet
• Scots: fleet

References

• “flẹ̄ten (v.(1))” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-10-05.
• “flẹ̄ten (v.(2))” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-10-05.

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Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From German flätig.

Adjective

fleten (Cyrillic spelling флетен)

1. (Kajkavian) quick

Synonyms

• brz

Related terms

• fletno

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Spanish

Verb

fleten

1. Third-person plural (ellos, ellas, also used with ustedes^?) present subjunctive form of fletar.
2. (used formally in Spain) Second-person plural (ustedes) imperative form of fletar.
3. (used formally in Spain) Second-person plural present subjunctive form of fletar.