I. ˈflāk noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English flake, fleke, from Old Norse flaki, fleki hurdle; akin to Old English flōc flounder, Middle Dutch vlac flat, smooth, Old Saxon flaka sole of the foot, Old High German flah smooth, Norwegian flak disk, floe, Latin plaga region, Greek pelagos sea, Latin placēre to please — more at please
1. now dialect : a movable section of fence (as a paling or hurdle)
2.
a. : a rack for storing provisions
b. : a stage, platform, or tray for drying fish or produce
3. : a sheltering framework in a mine
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian flak disk, floe
1.
a. : one of the small flocculent masses of ice crystals in which snow falls ; broadly : any small loose mass or bit
flakes of froth on the horse's chest
bright flakes of cloud
b. : a particle of incandescent or burning matter thrown off from a fire
flakes of flame
2.
a. : a thin flattened piece or layer : chip , lamina , scale
flakes of flint detached by pressure were among early man's best tools
slice the potatoes into flakes
often : something flattened to resemble such a flake
cereal flakes
b. : a lock of hair
c. : myocomma 1
d. : medullary ray ; also : flake figure
3. : a carnation with only two colors in the flower which has petals with large stripes
4. : an internal fissure in ferrous metal
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English flaken, from flake, n.
intransitive verb
1. : to fall as or like flakes of snow
petals flaking down in the light breeze
2.
a. : to separate into flakes
sandstone flakes readily in heat
b. : to peel or scale off
look how the paint has flaked
transitive verb
1. : to form or separate into flakes
flake the fish for the salad
2. : to cover with or as if with flakes (as of snow)
her hair flaked with white
shavings flaked the floor
3.
a. : to remove flakes from (as a stone) : work (as flint) by pressing off flakes ; also : to form (as an arrowhead) by flaking stone
b. : to remove (as worn paint) in flakes
IV.
variant of fake
V. ˈflāk noun
( -s )
Etymology: perhaps from flake (II)
Britain : a dogfish especially when used as food
VI. noun
Etymology: flake (II)
1. : one that is flaky : screwball
2. slang : cocaine