An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Flocke

by Friedrich Kluge

Flocke, f., ‘flake, flock (of wool), flue,’ from MidHG. vlocke, m., ‘flake, snowflake,’ OHG. floccho; comp. Du. vlok, Dan. flokke, Swed. flokka, E. (not in AS.) flock, but OIc. flóke, ‘flock (of hair, wool, &c.).’ The supposition that the word was borrowed from Lat. floccus is hardly worth considering, since the HG. word is recorded even in the OHG. period, and gives no support to such a derivation (yet comp. Flaum). Besides many possible roots exist within the Teut. group, either in fliegen (Teut. root flugh, from pre-Teut. plugh) or in AS. flacor, ‘flying’ (see flackern); on account of OIc. flóke, the latter is to be preferred. E. flock, ‘herd,’ is beside the mark; like OIc. flokkr, ‘herd, flock,’ and AS. flocc, it almost certainly belongs to fliegen, and probably signified orig. ‘a swarm of flying creatures’ (Kette, ‘covey,’ on the other hand, meant prop. ‘any kind of herd’).