An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Floß
Floß, n., ‘float, raft, buoy, stream, fishing-net,’ from MidHG. vlôȥ, OHG. flôȥ, m., n., ‘raft,’ also in MidHG. and OHG. in the senses ‘current, flood, river’; Du. vlot, ‘raft’; comp. AS. fleót, n., ‘ship,’ E. fleet, AS. flota, ‘ship’ (also ‘mariner, sailor’), E. float, subst. and verb; note too AS. flŷte, ‘cream, flos lactis,’ with which E. to fleet (‘to skim’) is connected, LG. flot, ‘cream’; comp. Lith. pluditi, ‘to float,’ under fließen (Flosse).