Where does “fles” come from?
fles (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.
Ancestry of “fles”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | flēos | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | fleus | fleece |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | fleusaz | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | plews- | to pluck, a feather, fleece; to pull out, pluck |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | plúsis | flea |