flea
/ˈfliː/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.42 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "The nation of beggars on horseback which first colonized California has left behind it many traditions unworthy of conservation, and multitudinous fleas not at all traditional, but even less keepworthy […]"
- "I have seen a Lubra, or native woman, suckling two puppies; and, like monkeys, these ladies have a particular fancy for fleaing their dogs."
- "[…] he'd flea me alive like another St Bartholomew."
- "In this Thwackum had the advantage; for while Square could only scarify the poor lad's reputation, he could flea his skin […]"
Etymology
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”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
beach flea
chigoe flea
dog-flea model
duck flea
eight-spotted flea beetle
fishhook flea
fit as a flea
flea allergy