Where does “fleabitten” come from?

fleabitten (English) comes from English bitten, from English bit, from Middle English bitte, from Old English byt, from Proto-Germanic *buttjā, from Latin buttia, from Ancient Greek βούττιον, from Ancient Greek -ῐον — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.

fleabitten (English): flea-ridden; wretched or sordid; mean; Of horses:...

Definitions

  1. flea-ridden; wretched or sordid; mean; Of horses:...

Ancestry of “fleabitten”, step by step

fleabitten traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English bitten

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishbittenpast participle of bite
2EnglishbitA piece of metal placed in a horse's mouth and...
3Middle EnglishbitteA flexible container for water or wine; a waterskin or wineskin
4Old Englishbytbottle, flagon
5Proto-Germanic*buttjā
6Latinbuttiacask, barrel
7Ancient Greekβούττιον
8Ancient Greek-ῐονdiminutive suffix; "suffix forming...
9Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

via English flea

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfleaA small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order...
2Middle Englishfleflea
3Old Englishflēa
4Proto-West Germanicflauhflea
5Proto-Germanicflauhazflea
6Proto-Indo-Europeanplówkos
7Proto-Indo-Europeanplúsisflea
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós