Where does “fleabrain” come from?
fleabrain (English) comes from English flea, from Middle English fle, from Old English flēa, from Proto-West Germanic flauh, from Proto-Germanic flauhaz, from Proto-Indo-European plówkos, from Proto-Indo-European plúsis — flea.
fleabrain (English): A stupid or foolish person
Definitions
- A stupid or foolish person
Ancestry of “fleabrain”, step by step
fleabrain traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English flea
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | flea | A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order... |
| 2 | Middle English | fle | flea |
| 3 | Old English | flēa | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | flauh | flea |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | flauhaz | flea |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | plówkos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plúsis | flea |
via English brain
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | brain | The control center of the central nervous system... |
| 2 | Middle English | brayn | The brain or cerebrum; the organ of thought;... |
| 3 | Old English | bræġn | brain |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *bragn | brain |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bragną | brain |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mregʰnom | skull, brain |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |