different between flea vs fleam

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English fle, from Old English fl?ah, fl?a, from Proto-West Germanic *flauh, from Proto-Germanic *flauhaz (compare West Frisian flie, Low German Flo, Flö, Dutch vlo, German Floh, Icelandic fló), from pre-Germanic *plóukos, *plówkos, from Proto-Indo-European *plúsis (compare Latin pulex, Sanskrit ?????? (plú?i)).

The archaic plural fleen is from Middle English fleen, flen, from Old English fl?an (“fleas”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fli?/

• Rhymes: -i?

• Homophones: flee

Noun

flea (plural fleas)

1. A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order Siphonaptera, renowned for its bloodsucking habits and jumping abilities.
2. (derogatory) A thing of no significance.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

flea (third-person singular simple present fleas, present participle fleaing, simple past and past participle fleaed)

1. (transitive) To remove fleas from (an animal).

   Synonym: deflea

   • 1861, Horace William Wheelwright, Bush Wanderings of a Naturalist (page 192)

     I have seen a Lubra, or native woman, suckling two puppies; and, like monkeys, these ladies have a particular fancy for fleaing their dogs.

Etymology 2

Alternative forms.

Verb

flea (third-person singular simple present fleas, present participle fleaing, simple past and past participle flead)

1. Obsolete spelling of flay
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society 1973, p. 74:

     In this Thwackum had the advantage; for while Square could only scarify the poor lad's reputation, he could flea his skin [...].

1. • 1605, Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, Everyman's Library 1991, p. 36:

     [...] he'd flea me alive like another St Bartholomew.

Anagrams

• Lafe, Leaf, alef, feal, leaf

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fli?m/
• Rhymes: -i?m

Etymology 1

From Middle English fleme, fleom, from Old French flieme, flemie (“open vein”), probably via a Proto-Germanic source (compare Old Saxon fl?ma, Old High German fliotuma, fliodema, Old English fl?tme, fl?tme (“fleam, lancet”)), borrowed from Vulgar Latin fletoma, *fletomus, from Late Latin flebotomus, phlebotomus, from Ancient Greek ?????????? (phlebotómon). Compare French flamme, Dutch vlijm, German Fliete, Danish flitte (“fleam”). Doublet of phlebotome.

Alternative forms

• phleam (archaic)

Noun

fleam (plural fleams)

1. A sharp instrument used to open a vein, to lance gums, or the like.
   • 1831-1850, William Youatt, On the Structure and the Diseases of the Horse

     A bloodstick - a piece of hard wood loaded at one end with lead — is used to strike the fleam into the vein

Hypernyms

• (sharp instrument): lancet

Derived terms

• fleam saw
• fleam tooth

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English fleem, flem (“the rushing of water; current”), probably from Old English fl?am (“fleeing; flight; rush”), from Proto-Germanic *flaumaz (“stream; current; flood”), from Proto-Indo-European *plew- (“to fly; flow; run”). Cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk flaum (“flood”).

Alternative forms

• fleem

Noun

fleam (plural fleams)

1. (Britain, dialectal, Northern England) The watercourse or runoff from a mill; millstream
2. (Britain, dialectal, Northern England) A large trench or gully cut into a meadow in order to drain it

Related terms

• fleme (verb)

Anagrams

• femal, flame

Latin

Verb

fleam

1. first-person singular present active subjunctive of fle?

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *flaumaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flæ???m/

Noun

fl?am m

1. escape, flight

Declension

Derived terms

• fl?ema
• t?fl?am