From OE 'flotian,' from PIE *plew- (to flow, to float) — sibling of 'flow,' 'flood,' 'fleet,' and 'fly.'
To rest or move on the surface of a liquid without sinking; to move gently through the air; a thing that floats, especially a raft or buoyant device.
From Old English 'flotian' (to float, to swim, to drift on water), from Proto-Germanic *flutōną (to float, to swim), derived from PIE *plew- (to flow, to swim, to float, to fly). This ancient root is one of the great water-and-motion roots of PIE, generating an extraordinary spread of descendants. In Latin it produced 'pluere' (to rain, source of 'pluvial' and 'pluvious'), 'plovere' (Italian, to rain), 'plūma' (feather, that which floats). In Greek
The words 'float,' 'flow,' 'flood,' 'fleet,' and 'fly' all descend from the same PIE root *plew- (to flow). Even Latin 'pluere' (to rain) — source of English 'pluvial' — belongs to this family. Water flowing, boats floating, ships fleeting, rain falling, and birds flying were all conceived as variations of the same flowing motion.