Where does “flea” come from?
Flea comes from Middle English fle, from Old English flēa, from Proto-Germanic flauhaz, from Proto-Indo-European plówkos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European plúsis.
flea (English): A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order...
Definitions
- A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order...
Ancestry of “flea”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fle | flea |
| 2 | Old English | flēa | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | flauh | flea |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | flauhaz | flea |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | plówkos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | plúsis | flea |
Words derived from “flea”