What does "flemish" mean?
Ellipsis of Flemish coil (“a rope that has been arranged into a neat, flat spiral coil”).
Flemish
/ˈflɛmɪʃ/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Ellipsis of Flemish coil (“a rope that has been arranged into a neat, flat spiral coil”).
- Grammar: flemish is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: art, belgian dutch, dutch of belgium, english.
- Useful contrasts: Standard Dutch, Walloon, non Flemish.
- Usage evidence: In Belgium, Flemish people want to declare their independence someday.
How to use "flemish"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flemish" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "flemish" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "flemish" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flemish" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "flemish" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "flemish", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Ellipsis of Flemish coil (“a rope that has been arranged into a neat, flat spiral coil”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"He really knew more of the ropes than half the mess did, though he had made no show; he could have managed to stow the mizen-royal in a squall by himself, if such had been now proper in his position; there were even two or three out-of-the-way knots, splices, and flemishes—practised by veteran A.B.'s alone, revealed to few, and only to be acquired with perfection in the studious solitude of the merchant service, with which Dick Diamond could be seen in sequestered corners to perplex raw hands of the waist or after-guard, he having singular instincts for that art—but some of which Harry could have explained in passing by."
- 2 one of two official languages of Belgium; closely related to Dutch wordnet
- 3 an ethnic group speaking Flemish and living in northern and western Belgium wordnet
Verb
- 1 Often followed by down: to arrange (a rope) into a neat, flat spiral coil. transitive
"In about twenty minutes, after the messenger had been stowed away, the cables coiled in the tiers, and the ropes flemished down on deck, the captain made his appearance, and directed the first-lieutenant to send aft the newly impressed men."
Adjective
- 1 Of or relating to Flanders, either as the historical county of Flanders (the current provinces of West Flanders and East Flanders in Belgium, Zeelandic Flanders in the Netherlands and French Flanders); or as the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium.
"But Wallonian legislators are blocking the changes, fearing that their power is eroding, that the Flemish are doing some legal ethnic cleansing and that a divided Belgium will end the subsidies that flow south from richer Flanders."
- 2 Of or relating to the Belgian standard variety of the Dutch language.
- 3 Of or relating to West Flemish, East Flemish and/or French Flemish dialects of Dutch.
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to Flanders or its people or language or culture wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 Standard Dutch as it is spoken in Flanders.
- 2 West Flemish, East Flemish and/or French Flemish dialects of Dutch.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"In Belgium, Flemish people want to declare their independence someday."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flemish"?
Common synonyms include: art, belgian dutch, dutch of belgium, english, flanders based, flanders dutch.
How do you use "flemish" in a sentence?
In Belgium, Flemish people want to declare their independence someday.
How do you pronounce "flemish"?
Pronounced /ˈflɛmɪʃ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English flemmysshe, from Old English flēmisc, from Old Frisian flāmisk, derived from Proto-Germanic *flaumaz (“flowing, current water”) and *-iskaz. Equivalent to English fleam + -ish. More at Flanders.
Etymology 2
The noun is an ellipsis of Flemish coil, so called because the technique of coiling rope in this manner began with sailors from Flanders. The verb is from Flemish (“of or relating to Flanders”, adjective), from Flemish coil.