Pflock

Meaning

stake or wooden peg used to fasten something

Concepts

peg

stake

tent-peg

picket

stopper

bottle cap

cork

stopcock

milestone

landmark

Synonyms

Pfahl

Dübel

Hahn

Bolzen

Pfeiler

Spund

Stöpsel

Verschluss

Pfropfen

Stopfen

Stock

Holznagel

Holzpflock

Zapfen

auspflocken

Holzdübel

Meilenstein

Knüppel

Holzpfahl

Pfosten

vermarken

stecken

Translations

paletto

kazık

estaca

piquet

staak

cheville

piolo

cavicchio

palo

estaca

estaca

jalon

pieu

pal

πάσσαλος

Pronounced as (IPA)

/pflɔk/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle High German: pfloc

Cognate with Middle Low German: plügge

Cognate with Dutch: plug

In summary

From Middle High German pfloc (late 14th century). Related with Middle Low German plügge (1375, or plugge), also pluck, plock (ca. 1420), Dutch plug (1511 as plugghe, also plogge), all “peg, wooden nail, pin, plug." Probably from the same ultimate source as English plug.
Further origin uncertain. The word shows semantic relations with a nominal derivative of Proto-Germanic *plukkijaną (“to pluck”, phlucke, phlocke, pluck, plok), and at least in High German also with the descendant of *blukką (“block”). However, these relations are in all likelihood secondary. Within High German, the word appears to have been restricted chiefly to the north-east (East Central German and surroundings); therefore it has been argued to be a Low German borrowing in the colonial regions, but the late attestations in all languages make it hard to prove this. English plug and similar Scandinavian forms are usually considered borrowings.