flea
English
/fliː/
noun
Definitions
- A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order Siphonaptera, renowned for its bloodsucking habits and jumping abilities.
- (derogatory) A thing of no significance.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English fle inherited from Old English flēah inherited from *flauh inherited from Proto-Germanic *flauhaz (flea) inherited from Proto-Indo-European *plúsis (flea) inherited from Middle English fleen inherited from Old English flēan (fleas).
Origin
Old English
flēan
Gloss
fleas
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- antiflea English
- bag English
- bane English
- beflea English
- bite English
- bitten English
- borne English
- brain English
- deflea English
- fleabag English
- fleabane English
- fleabite English
- fleabitten English
- fleaborne English
- fleabrain English
- flealike English
- fleasome English
- fleawort English
- pulicine English
- sand English
- sandflea English
- wort English
- pulex Latin
- pūlex Latin
- pūlicem Latin
- Floh German
- Flohmarkt German
- Flohzirkus German
- Sandfloh German
- aardvlo Dutch, Flemish
- sneeuwvlo Dutch, Flemish
- vlo Dutch, Flemish
- vlokever Dutch, Flemish
- vlooien Dutch, Flemish
- vlooienmarkt Dutch, Flemish
- ψύλλα Ancient Greek
- ψύλλιον Ancient Greek
- *plews- Proto-Indo-European
- *plówkos Proto-Indo-European
- *plúsis Proto-Indo-European
- *plúsis, *plusy(e)h₂ Proto-Indo-European
- *flauhaz Proto-Germanic
- beflean Old English
- fleah Old English
- flēa Old English
- flēah Old English
- flēan Old English
- प्लुषि Sanskrit
- fle Middle English
- fleen Middle English
- flees Middle English
- fló Old Norse
- pulo Esperanto
- fló Icelandic
- vlô Middle Dutch
- flōh Old High German
- vlō Middle High German
- Flou Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- Floumaart Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- *flauh gmw-pro
- *plúšiš Proto-Indo-Iranian
- Flo Alemannic German
- *plúṣiṣ Proto-Indo-Aryan
- *flē Old Frisian
- Flee Saterland Frisian
- príṣu Kalasha
- پُولُوۨشُو Khowar