flea

Meanings

Noun

• A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order Siphonaptera, renowned for its bloodsucking habits and jumping abilities.
• A thing of no significance.

Verb

• To remove fleas from (an animal).

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 Proto-Indo-European *plúsis (compare Latin pulex, Sanskrit प्लुषि).
• The archaic plural fleen is from Middle English fleen, flen, from Old English flēan.
• Alternative forms.