flattern

German

Etymology

Early New High German flatern, from Middle High German vladeren, probably related to Falter (moth). Compare Dutch fladderen, Lithuanian plazdė́ti (to flutter, beat the wings vigorously), Latvian pledināt (to move the wings).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈflatɐn/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: flat‧tern

Verb

flattern (weak, third-person singular present flattert, past tense flatterte, past participle geflattert, auxiliary haben)

  1. (intransitive) to flutter
    Die Fahnen flattern im Wind.
    The flags flutter in the wind.
    Der Vogel geriet in Panik und flatterte mit den Flügeln.
    The bird started panicking and flapped its wings.

Conjugation

Further reading

  • flattern” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • flattern” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • flattern” in Duden online
  • flattern” in OpenThesaurus.de