flake

noun

/fleɪk/

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a small, very thin layer or piece of something, especially one that has broken off from something larger
- flakes of snow/paint
- dried onion flakes
see also cornflakes, snowflake, soap flakesTopics Weatherc2
(North American English, informal) a person who is strange or unusual or who forgets things easily

Word Originnoun Middle English: the immediate source is unknown, the senses perhaps deriving from different words; probably of Germanic origin and related to flag ‘flagstone’ and flaw.

flake

verb

/fleɪk/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they flake	/fleɪk/ /fleɪk/
he / she / it flakes	/fleɪks/ /fleɪks/
past simple flaked	/fleɪkt/ /fleɪkt/
past participle flaked	/fleɪkt/ /fleɪkt/
-ing form flaking	/ˈfleɪkɪŋ/ /ˈfleɪkɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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[intransitive] flake (off) to fall off in small thin pieces
- You could see bare wood where the paint had flaked off.
- His skin was dry and flaking.
[transitive, intransitive] flake (something) to break something, especially fish or other food into small thin pieces; to fall into small thin pieces
- Flake the tuna and add to the sauce.
- flaked almonds

Word Originverb Middle English: the immediate source is unknown, the senses perhaps deriving from different words; probably of Germanic origin and related to flag ‘flagstone’ and flaw. flake out. sense 1 late 15th cent. (in the senses ‘become languid’ and (of a garment) ‘fall in folds’): variant of obsolete flack and the verb flag ‘to become tired’. The current sense dates from the 1940s.