flake1

 
Pronunciation: /fleɪk/

noun

  • 1a small, flat, very thin piece of something, typically one which has broken away or been peeled off from a larger piece: he licked the flakes of croissant off his finger
  • a snowflake: the snow was coming down in thick flakes
  • Archaeology a piece of hard stone chipped off for use as a tool by prehistoric humans: [as modifier]: flake tools
  • [mass noun] thin pieces of crushed, dried food or bait for fish.
  • 2North American informal a crazy or eccentric person.

verb

  • 1 [no object] come or fall away from a surface in flakes: the paint had been flaking off for years
  • lose small fragments from the surface: my nails have started to flake at the ends
  • 2 [with object] separate (food) into flakes or thin pieces: (as adjective flaked) flaked almonds
  • [no object] (of food) come apart in flakes or thin pieces: cook until the fish flakes easily

Origin:

Middle English: the immediate source is unknown, the senses perhaps deriving from different words; probably of Germanic origin and related to flag2 and flaw1