флаг (Russian)
Where does "флаг" come from?
The Russian noun 'флаг', meaning 'flag or banner'[1], was borrowed from the Dutch word 'vlag'[1]. Its spelling was further influenced by the English word 'flag', using the letter 'ф' rather than 'в' to avoid a linguistic clash with the Russian word 'влах' meaning 'Vlach'[1]. The ultimate origins of the Dutch root 'vlag' are uncertain, though it may derive from an undetermined Germanic source meaning 'something flat'[2].
Open questions
- The ultimate origins of the Dutch word vlag are uncertain and may stem from an undetermined Germanic source or an imitative root. [2]
Full etymology tree
- флаг (flag) (Russian), 'flag, banner'
- borrowed vlag (Dutch), 'flag'
- derived (Germanic)
- derived *flaką (Proto-Germanic)
- derived *pleh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'flat'
- derived *flaką (Proto-Germanic)
- derived (Germanic)
- influenced by flag (English), 'A piece of cloth, often decorated with an emblem, used as a visual signal or symbol.'
- borrowed vlag (Dutch), 'flag'
Ancestors
- vlag (Dutch)
Descendants and derived words
- flağ (Azerbaijani)
- flakku (Ingrian)
- флаг (Komi-Zyrian)
- flagu (Livvi)
- былаах (Yakut)
Sources
- флаг (flag) (Russian) - Wiktionary
- vlag (Dutch) - Wiktionary
- pleh₂- (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris