FLEA

flea

(noun) any wingless bloodsucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

flea (plural fleas)

A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order Siphonaptera, renowned for its bloodsucking habits and jumping abilities.

(derogatory) A thing of no significance.

Verb

flea (third-person singular simple present fleas, present participle fleaing, simple past and past participle fleaed)

(transitive) To remove fleas from (an animal).

Synonym: deflea

Etymology 2

Alternative forms.

Verb

flea (third-person singular simple present fleas, present participle fleaing, simple past and past participle flead)

Obsolete spelling of flay.

Anagrams

• Lafe, Leaf, alef, feal, leaf

Source: Wiktionary


Flea, v. t. Etym: [See Flay.]

Definition: To flay. [Obs.] He will be fleaced first And horse collars made of's skin. J. Fletcher.

Flea, n. Etym: [OE. fle, flee, AS. fleá, fleáh; akin to D. fl, G. floh, Icel. fl, Russ. blocha; prob. from the root of E. flee. Flee.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: An insect belonging to the genus Pulex, of the order Aphaniptera. Fleas are destitute of wings, but have the power of leaping energetically. The bite is poisonous to most persons. The human flea (Pulex irritans), abundant in Europe, is rare in America, where the dog flea (P. canis) takes its place. See Aphaniptera, and Dog flea. See Illustration in Appendix. A flea in the ear, an unwelcome hint or unexpected reply, annoying like a flea; an irritating repulse; as, to put a flea in one's ear; to go away with a flea in one's ear.

– Beach flea, Black flea, etc. See under Beach, etc.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

9 May 2025

RIGHT

(noun) anything in accord with principles of justice; “he feels he is in the right”; “the rightfulness of his claim”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the most massive cup of coffee contained 22,739.14 liters and was created by Alcaldía Municipal de Chinchiná (Colombia) at Parque de Bolívar, Chinchiná, Caldas, Colombia, on 15 June 2019. Fifty people worked for more than a month to build this giant cup. The drink prepared was Arabic coffee.

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