flittern

flittern (countable and uncountable, plural flitterns)

1. (obsolete, dialect) The bark obtained from young oak trees.
2. (obsolete, dialect) A young oak tree.
   • 1857, William Fordyce, The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham:

     In August, 1851, 7,600 oak flittern trees and poles were sold by auction

• IPA^(key): /ˈflɪtɐn/

Middle High German flettern, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *flutrōną, frequentative of *flutōną (“to float”). Probably related to Low German fluttern. Cognate with English flutter and related to English float.

flittern (weak, third-person singular present flittert, past tense flitterte, past participle geflittert, auxiliary haben)

1. (archaic) to glisten, sparkle

   Synonyms: glänzen, flimmern

   • 1782, Friedrich Schiller, Morgenfantasie:

     Wie silberfarb flittern / Die Wiesen, wie zittern / Tausend Sonnen im perlendem Thau!

     Like silvern the meadows glisten / How jittern there are thousand suns in pearly dew!

2. (obsolete) to flutter

   Synonym: flattern

3. (obsolete) to laugh, to giggle

   Synonym: kichern

4. (obsolete) to fawn, to flatter

   Synonyms: kosen, schmeicheln, flattieren

• Flitter
• Flittchen

Back-formation from Flitterwochen (“honeymoon”).

flittern (weak, third-person singular present flittert, past tense flitterte, past participle geflittert, auxiliary haben)

1. (colloquial, humorous) to honeymoon
   • 2011, Birgit Hasselbusch, Flirt-Angriff, Rowohlt, →ISBN:

     «Will ja nur nicht, dass du mir eine Ansichtskarte schickst mit den Worten: Wir flittern gerade zwischen Monaco und St. Tropez. Mia und Olivier oder so.»

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• “flittern” in Duden online
• “flittern” in Duden online
• “flittern” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.
• “flittern” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache