Link Centre Dictionary

flea

UK/ˈfliː/ US/ˈflɪi̯/ fairly common

noun

1.

any wingless blood-sucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap

Origin

From Middle English fle, from Old English flēah, flēa, 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 or akin to Proto-Indo-European *plus- (compare Latin pulex, Sanskrit प्लुषि (plúṣi)). The archaic plural fleen is from Middle English fleen, flen, from Old English flēan (“fleas”).

Phrases

  • beach flea
  • chigoe flea
  • dog-flea model
  • duck flea
  • eight-spotted flea beetle
  • fishhook flea
  • fit as a flea
  • flea allergy

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.