Flea
/fliː/noun
A tiny wingless insect that feeds on the blood of mammals and birds.
Did you know?The English word flea goes back to a Proto-Germanic root *flauhaz/*flahwaz, linked to the idea of leaping or fluttering, which is why many old Germanic names for it focus on its explosive jump rather than its bite.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pleu-
“to flow, fly, or move swiftly”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*flauhaz / *flahwaz
“flea”
Old English
OE
flēa
“flea”
Middle English
ME
flee
“flea”
Modern English
English
flea
“a small blood-feeding jumping insect”