flite

• flyte (dialectal)

• Rhymes: -aɪt

From Middle English flit, flyt, ȝeflit, from Old English flīt, ġeflīt (“strife, contention”), from Proto-Germanic *flītaz, *flītiz (“strife, zeal, effort, diligence”). Cognate with Scots flyte (“scolding, chiding, reproof”), Saterland Frisian Fliet (“zeal, diligence”), Dutch vlijt (“zeal, diligence”), German Low German Fliet (“zeal, diligence”), German Fleiß (“zeal, diligence”), Danish flid (“zeal, diligence”), Swedish flit (“zeal, diligence”).

flite (plural flites)

1. a quarrel, dispute, wrangling
2. a scolding

From Middle English fliten (“to argue, quarrel”), from Old English flītan (“to strive, contend”), from Proto-Germanic *flītaną (“to strive, contend”). Akin to German befleissen (“to apply oneself diligently, endeavor”), Swedish beflita (“to apply to, study”), Norwegian Bokmål beflitte (“to endeavour, strive”), Dutch vlijt (“diligence, assiduity”), German Fleiß (“diligence, assiduity”), Swedish flit (“diligence”), Norwegian Bokmål and Danish flid (“diligence”).

flite (third-person singular simple present flites, present participle fliting, simple past flited or flote, past participle flited or flitten)

1. to dispute, quarrel, wrangle, brawl
2. to scold, jeer

• flyting

• filet