Flemish
Americanadjective
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of or relating to Flanders, its people, or their language.
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pertaining to or designating the style of art, especially painting, as developed principally in Flanders and northern France during the 15th century, chiefly characterized by sharply delineated forms, naturalistic proportions, clear, usually cool colors, and the use of perspective.
noun
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the people of Flanders collectively; the Flemings.
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the Dutch language as spoken in northern Belgium: one of the official languages of Belgium. Flem., Flem
noun
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one of the two official languages of Belgium, almost identical in form with Dutch
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(functioning as plural) the Flemings collectively
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Flemish
1275–1325; Middle English < Middle Dutch Vlaemsch, equivalent to Vlaem- ( see Fleming) + -sch -ish 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Meanwhile, Flemish news site HLN, external reports that teenage students in the Brussels suburb of Tervuren took their exams inside the cooler confines of a church.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
You could say that the Flemish painter, who served in the courts of two 17th-century English kings, created an imposing style of portraiture that was its own last word.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
The historic Egmont was a Flemish general, a hero to his people in the Netherlands who attempts to serve the 16th century Spanish emperor, Philip II, and rife for Goethe’s romanticizing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
The Mercator was first introduced in 1569 by a Flemish geographer, and by the 1700s, it had become the default map.
From Slate ● Jan. 21, 2026
The poster was in Flemish, and so Descartes turned to the person standing next to him, also studying the poster, and asked him to translate it.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
