Translation
to flutter, to flap; to flirt
Word origin
From English flirt, which in its oldest use meant to flick or dart about and only later settled on the romantic sense. Esperanto took both halves of that history and kept them in the order English had them.
- Origin
- English
- Root
- flirt
- English cognates
- flirt
Examples
.
The flag flutters in the wind above the house.
.
White curtains fluttered at the open windows.
.
He flirts with everyone and loves nobody.
has two senses, and the one English speakers reach for first is the
second one in the dictionary.
The primary sense is physical: to move lightly and irregularly in the air.
Flags do it, curtains do it, butterflies and falling leaves do it. The Reta
Vortaro leads with exactly that, and its example is white curtains at an open
window. If you have sung
La Tagiĝo, Grabowski's 1913 marching song, you
have already met the word in this sense: jam ', the starry banner is already fluttering in the wind. Nobody in that
line is flirting with anybody.
The second sense is the social one, and it is a straight borrowing of the
modern English meaning: to court somebody lightly and without serious intent.
It takes . Alongside it sit two heavier words with the same subject
matter: amindumi is to woo or court properly, and
ami is the real thing.
The transitive partner is i, to make something flutter, which is why
a flag is flown as i .
Where this fits
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flirti: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "flirti" (to flutter, to flap; to flirt): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 48.