An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Flosse

by Friedrich Kluge

Flosse, feminine, from the equivalent Middle High German vloȥȥe, Old High German floȥȥa, feminine, ‘float; Floßfeder, ‘fin,’ even in Middle High German vloȥvëdere, in Old Saxon simply fëthara, ‘float,’ like Greek πτέρυξ, ‘feather, float,’ Latin pinna, ‘feather, float.’ See Finne. Flosse, akin to fließen, ‘to float.’