738: Fillip Dec 15, 2016
The onset 'fli' has in many words like 'flick' is used imitatively to demonstrate rapid motion (see more here).
This is believed by psycho-linguists to be quick release of the
speaker's curled tongue. The word 'fillip' is yet another example of
this, first having the meaning of flicking one's finger, but it soon
took on the meaning of acting as a stimulus or giving something energy,
and moved slightly away from the theme of the other words that follow
this same pattern.
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