Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *plehan Old English pleġan Proto-West Germanic *plegō Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-West Germanic *-ōn Proto-West Germanic *plegōn Old English plegian Middle English pleyen Proto-West Germanic *plegō Old English plega Middle English pleye English play From Middle English pleyen (verb) and Middle English pleye (noun), from Old English plegian and plegan, plagian (“to play, exercise, etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *plehan (“to care about, be concerned with”) and Proto-West Germanic *plegōn (“to engage, move”), of uncertain origin. cognates and related terms Cognate with Scots play (“to act or move briskly, cause to move, stir”), Saterland Frisian pleegje (“to look after, care for, maintain”), West Frisian pleegje, pliigje (“to commit, perform, bedrive”), Middle Dutch pleyen ("to dance, leap for joy, rejoice, be glad"; compare Modern Dutch pleien (“to play a particular children's game”)), Dutch plegen (“to commit, bedrive, practice”), German pflegen (“to care for, be concerned with, attend to, tend”). Related also to Old English plēon (“to risk, endanger”). More at plight, pledge. The noun is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, plega, plæġa (“play, quick motion, movement, exercise; (athletic) sport, game; festivity, drama; battle; gear for games, an implement for a game; clapping with the hands, applause”), deverbative of plegian (“to play”); see above.

move • drama • script • play • view • listen • act • allowance • approach • backlash • bang • bauf • bearing gap • bearing play • beat • boff • boink • bone • bonk • bop • bounce • breed • bump nasties • bump uglies • catch a dick • clap cheeks • clearance • cohabit • common • company • cook • copulate • couple • crack • dance • defraud • dip one's pen in someone's inkwell • discuss Uganda • do it • do the deed • do the nasty • eff • engage in sex • engender • exchange flesh • expletive deleted • frack • frak • free play • frick • frig • move in a/the game • Netflix and chill • run of play • slackness • stage play • style of play • work for the stage