An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Flitter

by Friedrich Kluge

Flitter, m., ‘spangle, tinsel,’ simply ModHG.; orig. ‘a small thin tin coin’; akin to MidHG. gevlitter, ‘secret laughter, tittering,’ vlittern, vb., ‘to whisper, titter,’ OHG. flitarezzen, ‘to coax in a flattering manner’; MidE. fliteren, ‘to flutter,’ E. flittermouse. The root idea is ‘unsteady motion,’ upon which ModHG. Flitter is based. With the meaning of OHG. flitarezzen, ‘to flatter, fondle,’ as well as ModHG. flïtern, ‘to whisper, titter,’ is connected Flitterwoche, f., which first occurs in early ModHG. The following foreign terms are interesting: — Scand. hjúnóttsmánaþr, lit. ‘a month of the nuptial night’; Dan. hvedebrodsdage, lit. ‘wheat-bread days’; E. honeymoon, derived from the Scand. word?, or rather formed from the Romance phrases, such as Fr. lune de miel, Ital. luna di miele.