*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of flush

From Middle English flusshen, fluschen, of uncertain origin. Compare dialectal flusk (“to fly at, startle a bird out of the bush”) and flusker (“to flutter, fly irregularly”). Perhaps related to Middle English flasshen,

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 5 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To cause to take flight from concealment. · To take suddenly to flight, especially from cover.

noun

A group of birds that have suddenly started up from undergrowth, trees, etc.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English flusshen, fluschen, of uncertain origin. Compare dialectal flusk (“to fly at, startle a bird out of the bush”) and flusker (“to flutter, fly irregularly”). Perhaps related to Middle English flasshen, flasschen, flaschen, see flash; or a Middle English blend of flowen (“to flow”) + guschen (“to gush”). Compare Saterland Frisian flutskje, German Low German flutschen, German flutschen.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "flusshen"
      },
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    },
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        "2": "flowen",
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      "flusk",
      "flusk#English"
    ],
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      "flusker#English"
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      "flasshen",
      "flasshen#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "flasschen",
      "flasschen#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "flaschen",
      "flaschen#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "flash",
      "flash#English"
    ],
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      "flowen",
      "flowen#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "flow",
      "flow"
    ],
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      "guschen",
      "guschen#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "gush",
      "gush"
    ],
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    ],
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      "flutschen",
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    ]
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adv

Suddenly and completely.

adj

Smooth, even, aligned; not sticking out. · Wealthy or well off. · Ellipsis of flush left and right: a body of text aligned with both its left and right margins. · Full of vigor; fresh; glowing; bright.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Same as Etymology 3, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To cleanse by flooding with generous quantities of a fluid. · Particularly, to cleanse a toilet by introducing a large amount of water. · To become suffused with reddish color due to embarrassment, excitement, overheating, or other systemic disturbance, to blush. · To cause to blush.

noun

A sudden flowing; a rush which fills or overflows, as of water for cleansing purposes. · Particularly, such a cleansing of a toilet. · The process of clearing the contents of a buffer or cache. · A suffusion of the face with blood, as from fear, shame, modesty, or intensity of feeling of any kind; a blush; a glow.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably from Etymology 1, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

This page abbreviates 15 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A groundwater-fed marsh or peaty mire (which may be acidic or basic, nutrient-rich or poor); (originally especially Scotland and Northern England) a (marshy) pool or seep, as in a field.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Various similar terms are found in dialectal English and Scots as flash and flosh (older Scots flosche), and the variation goes back to Middle English flushe, flosche, flashe, flaske. The DSL suggests a relation between flush, English flash (“pool”), and Middle English flosche, but influence from other water-related senses of flush and flash is also conceivable.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionflusheenm
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗
noun

A hand consisting of all cards with the same suit.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably from Middle French flus (“flow”), cognate with flux.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Unspecified derivation mentionflusfrm
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "lang_code": "fr",
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      ]
    },
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      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
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    },
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      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "word": "플러쉬",
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        "borrowed"
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    },
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      "lang_code": "pt",
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

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Contribute located evidence for flush →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-Zmx1c2g