From Middle High German vlackern, perhaps ultimately imitative of birds' wings,[1] or from Proto-Germanic *flakuraz (“shaking, wavering”), related to *flakurōną (“to roam, wander”), from Proto-Indo-European *plag- (“to roam, wander”), from Proto-Indo-European *pelə- (“to wander”). Or, from Proto-Germanic *fleuganą (“to fly”).[2] [3]
From flacken + -ern (iterative suffix)[4]
See also West Frisian flikkerje, Middle Low German vlickeren (“to beat, flap”), Old English flicorian (“to flap, flutter”). More at English flicker, flaunt.
flackern (weak, third-person singular present flackert, past tense flackerte, past participle geflackert, auxiliary haben)
| infinitive | flackern | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present participle | flackernd | ||||
| past participle | geflackert | ||||
| auxiliary | haben | ||||
| indicative | subjunctive | ||||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
| present | ich flackre ich flackere ich flacker |
wir flackern | i | ich flackere ich flackre |
wir flackern |
| du flackerst | ihr flackert | du flackerest du flackrest |
ihr flackeret ihr flackret | ||
| er flackert | sie flackern | er flackere er flackre |
sie flackern | ||
| preterite | ich flackerte | wir flackerten | ii | ich flackerte1 | wir flackerten1 |
| du flackertest | ihr flackertet | du flackertest1 | ihr flackertet1 | ||
| er flackerte | sie flackerten | er flackerte1 | sie flackerten1 | ||
| imperative | flackre (du) flacker (du) flackere (du) |
flackert (ihr) | |||
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.