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

  1. A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order...

Ancestry of “flea”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfleflea
2Old Englishflēa
3Proto-West Germanicflauhflea
4Proto-Germanicflauhazflea
5Proto-Indo-Europeanplówkos
6Proto-Indo-Europeanplúsisflea

Words derived from “flea

Every word from Proto-Indo-European plúsis
flea — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer