flit

Noun

1. A fluttering or darting movement.
2. A sudden departure from a property.
3. A particular, unexpected, short lived change of state.
4. (dated, slang) A homosexual.

Verb

1. To move about rapidly and nimbly.
2. To move quickly from one location to another.
3. To unpredictably change state for short periods of time.
4. (UK, dialectal) To move house (sometimes a sudden move to avoid debts).
5. To move a tethered animal to a new grazing location.
6. To be unstable; to be easily or often moved.

Adj

Fast, nimble.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/flɪt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: flitten

Cognate with Icelandic: flytja

Cognate with Swedish: flytta

Cognate with Danish: flytte

Cognate with Norwegian: flytte

Cognate with Faroese: flyta

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: flitskje

In summary

From Middle English flitten, flytten, from Old Norse flytja (“to move”), from Proto-Germanic *flutjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *plewd- (“to flow; run”).
Cognate Icelandic flytja, Swedish flytta, Danish flytte, Norwegian flytte, Faroese flyta. Compare also Saterland Frisian flitskje (“to rush; run quickly”).

Synonyms

flutter

dart

🎯

fly

✈️

hover

flirt

😘

fleet

wing

🪽

flap

fly about

flicker

rush

wave

👋

whisk

moving in

play

plunge

rack

sail

scamper

scurry

skip

slip

soar

scamper away

wiggle

wriggle

be dazzled

migration

soar into the air

aviate

dart away

blow

breeze

caper

drift

fell

fidget

float

gambol

hop

litter

migrate

move

Translations

voltiger

aan de scharrel zijn

vliegen

✈️

revolotear

borboletear

voletejar

volar

✈️

huschen

svolazzare

voler

fladderen

flitzen

voleter

esvoaçar

fliegen

✈️