flittern

See also: Flittern

English

Noun

flittern (countable and uncountable, plural flitterns)

  1. (obsolete, dialect) The bark obtained from young oak trees.
  2. (obsolete, dialect) A young oak tree.
    • 1857, William Fordyce, The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham:
      In August, 1851, 7,600 oak flittern trees and poles were sold by auction

German

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈflɪtɐn/

Etymology 1

Middle High German flettern, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *flutrōną, frequentative of *flutōną (“to float”). Probably related to Low German fluttern. Cognate with English flutter and related to English float.

Verb

flittern (weak, third-person singular present flittert, past tense flitterte, past participle geflittert, auxiliary haben)

  1. (archaic) to glisten, sparkle
    Synonyms: glänzen, flimmern
    • 1782, Friedrich Schiller, Morgenfantasie:
      Wie silberfarb flittern / Die Wiesen, wie zittern / Tausend Sonnen im perlendem Thau!
      Like silvern the meadows glisten / How jittern there are thousand suns in pearly dew!
  2. (obsolete) to flutter
    Synonym: flattern
  3. (obsolete) to laugh, to giggle
    Synonym: kichern
  4. (obsolete) to fawn, to flatter
    Synonyms: kosen, schmeicheln, flattieren
Conjugation

Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Back-formation from Flitterwochen (“honeymoon”).

Verb

flittern (weak, third-person singular present flittert, past tense flitterte, past participle geflittert, auxiliary haben)

  1. (colloquial, humorous) to honeymoon
    • 2011, Birgit Hasselbusch, Flirt-Angriff, Rowohlt, →ISBN:
      «Will ja nur nicht, dass du mir eine Ansichtskarte schickst mit den Worten: Wir flittern gerade zwischen Monaco und St. Tropez. Mia und Olivier oder so.»
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Conjugation

Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

Further reading
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