different between flitten vs flittern

English

Verb

flitten

1. past participle of flite.

Anagrams

• lift net

English

Noun

flittern (countable and uncountable, plural flitterns)

1. (obsolete, dialect) The bark obtained from young oak trees.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of McElrath to this entry?)

2. (obsolete, dialect) A young oak tree.

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?fl?t?n/

Etymology 1

Middle High German flettern, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *flutr?n?, frequentative of *flut?n? (“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
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

Derived terms

• Flitter
• Flittchen

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.»

Conjugation

Further reading

• “flittern” in Duden online
• “flittern” in Duden online
• “flittern” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.
• “flittern” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache