Word
Definition
n. a small, thin piece of something that has broken off a larger surface. You often see these when paint or skin peels away.
n. a small, thin, flattened piece or layer of a substance, typically one that has peeled or broken away from a larger mass.
Examples
“The old paint fell off the wall in a large flake.”
“After spending all day at the beach without sunscreen, he noticed a small flake of skin peeling from his shoulder.”
“The restorer carefully removed each loose flake of pigment from the canvas before applying a fresh layer of protective varnish to the centuries-old portrait.”
Examples
simple
“The old paint fell off the wall in a large flake.”
contextual
“After spending all day at the beach without sunscreen, he noticed a small flake of skin peeling from his shoulder.”
complex
“The restorer carefully removed each loose flake of pigment from the canvas before applying a fresh layer of protective varnish to the centuries-old portrait.”
Usage
Often used with 'of' to specify the material, such as 'a flake of snow' or 'flakes of rust'.
Real-World Examples
“We all have that friend who’s a bit of a flake.” “Tip into a bowl, add all the other butter ingredients and a good pinch of flaked salt, and mix well.” Etymology
From Middle English flake (“a flake of snow”), from Old English flacca and/or Old Norse flak (“loose or torn piece”) (compare Old Norse flakna (“to flake or chip”)), from Proto-Germanic flaką (“something flat”), from Proto-Indo-European pleh₂- (“flat, broad, plain”). Cognate with Norwegian flak (“slice, sliver”, literally “piece torn off”), Swedish flak (“a thin slice”), Danish flage (“flake”), German Flocke (“flake”), Dutch vlak (“smooth surface, plain”) and vlok (“flake”), as well as with Latin plaga (“flat surface, district, region”) and Welsh llech (“slate, tablet”). Doublet of plage.
A name given to dogfish to improve its marketability as a food, perhaps from etymology 1.
Compare Icelandic flaki, Icelandic fleki, Danish flage, Dutch vlaak.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/flake
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0