Where does “flees” come from?

flees (Middle English) comes from Old English flēos, from Proto-West Germanic fleus, from Proto-Germanic fleusaz, from Proto-Indo-European plews-, from Proto-Indo-European plúsis — flea.

flees (Middle English): plural of fle; A sheepskin or fleece; the skin of...

Definitions

  1. plural of fle; A sheepskin or fleece; the skin of...

Ancestry of “flees”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishflēosfleece
2Proto-West Germanicfleusfleece
3Proto-Germanicfleusaz—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanplews-to pluck, a feather, fleece; to pull out, pluck
5Proto-Indo-Europeanplúsisflea

Words derived from “flees”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European plúsis →Every word from Proto-Indo-European plews- →Every word from Proto-Germanic fleusaz →
flees — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer