flounder

Where does the word "flounder" come from? It comes from Old Norse flyðra, passing through Anglo-Norman before entering English (1300s).

Flounder’s story begins in Old Norse: flyðra meant “flatfish.” A flatfish. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Anglo-Norman as floundre. Passed into the French of medieval England. It reached English by 1300s as flounder. Unrelated to the verb 'flounder', to struggle clumsily. Today, flounder means a flat fish found in coastal waters.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval flyðra "flatfish", a flatfish.
2. Stage 2 · Anglo-Norman · 1200s floundre "flatfish", passed into the French of medieval England.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s flounder "flatfish", unrelated to the verb 'flounder', to struggle clumsily.