flaunt

Etymology 1

Of North Germanic origin. Perhaps related to Norwegian flanta (“to show off, wander about”), Icelandic flana (“to rush about, act rashly or heedlessly”) and then also to French flâner (“to wander around, loiter”). Alternatively, it could be related to Swedish flankt (“loosely, flutteringly”) (compare English flaunt-a-flaunt), from flanka (“waver, hang and wave about, ramble”), a nasalised variant of flakka (“to waver”), related to Middle English flacken (“to move to and fro, flutter, palpitate”). See flack.

verb

1. (intransitive, archaic) To wave or flutter smartly in the wind.
   The house came into sight, above the cedar grove beyond whose black interstices an apple orchard flaunted in the sunny afternoon. 1931, William Faulkner, Sanctuary, Library of America, published 1985, page 26
2. (transitive) To parade, display with ostentation.
   She’s always flaunting her designer clothes.
   Never one to miss an opportunity to flaunt his wealth, Khashoggi let his yacht be used for the 1983 Bond film Never Say Never Again. 7 June 2017, Adam Lusher, “Adnan Khashoggi: the 'whoremonger' whose arms deals funded a playboy life of decadence and 'pleasure wives'”, in The Independent, London
3. (intransitive, archaic or literary) To show off, as with flashy clothing.
   [T]he younger belles had begun to flaunt in the French fashions of flimsy muslins, shortwaisted— narrow-skirted. 1856, Dinah Craik, John Halifax, Chapter VI

noun

1. (obsolete) Anything displayed for show.

Etymology 2

verb

1. (proscribed) To flout.
   Wheeler said companies already are flaunting the rules by offering free or sponsored data services for some products. January 20, 2017, David Shepardson, “Outgoing FCC chair warns against overturning net neutrality”, in Reuters