flake

noun

/fleɪk/

a small, very thin layer or piece of something, especially one that has broken off from something larger小薄片；（尤指）碎片
- flakes of snow/paint雪花；剥落的片片油漆
- dried onion flakes干洋葱皮片
see also cornflakes, snowflake, soap flakesTopics Weatherc2
(North American English, informal) a person who is strange or unusual or who forgets things easily古怪的人；奇特的人；健忘的人

Word Originnoun Middle English: the immediate source is unknown, the senses perhaps deriving from different words; probably of Germanic origin and related to flag ‘flagstone’ and flaw.

flake

verb

/fleɪk/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they flake	/fleɪk/ /fleɪk/
he / she / it flakes	/fleɪks/ /fleɪks/
past simple flaked	/fleɪkt/ /fleɪkt/
past participle flaked	/fleɪkt/ /fleɪkt/
-ing form flaking	/ˈfleɪkɪŋ/ /ˈfleɪkɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

[intransitive] flake (off) to fall off in small thin pieces（成小薄片）脱落，剥落
- You could see bare wood where the paint had flaked off.油漆剥落处可以看见光秃秃的木头。
- His skin was dry and flaking.他的皮肤干燥，脱皮屑。
[transitive, intransitive] flake (something) to break something, especially fish or other food into small thin pieces; to fall into small thin pieces把（鱼、食物等）切成薄片；成为薄片
- Flake the tuna and add to the sauce.把金枪鱼切成片，加上调味汁。
- flaked almonds杏仁片

Word Originverb Middle English: the immediate source is unknown, the senses perhaps deriving from different words; probably of Germanic origin and related to flag ‘flagstone’ and flaw. flake out. sense 1 late 15th cent. (in the senses ‘become languid’ and (of a garment) ‘fall in folds’): variant of obsolete flack and the verb flag ‘to become tired’. The current sense dates from the 1940s.