fly

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To travel through the air, as a bird or aircraft does.

   Birds fly south for the winter.

2. 2
   verb

   To travel somewhere by plane.

   They are flying to New York tonight.

3. 3
   verb

   To make something move or float through the air.

   The children love to fly their kites on the beach.

4. 4
   noun

   The opening at the front of a pair of trousers, closed with a zip or buttons.

   He was embarrassed to find that his fly was open.

From Middle English flien, from Old English flēogan, from Proto-West Germanic *fleugan, from Proto-Germanic *fleuganą, from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (*plew-k-, “to fly”), enlargement of *plew- (“flow”). Compare Etymology 1. See also Saterland Frisian fljooge, Dutch vliegen, Low German flegen, German fliegen, Danish flyve, Norwegian Nynorsk flyga; also Lithuanian plaũkti ‘to swim’). More at flee and flow.

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