fleam

fleam · noun¹

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromφλεβοτόμον
2. Late Latin · derived fromflebotomus
3. Vulgar Latin · derived fromfletoma
4. Old French · derived fromflieme
5. Middle English · inherited fromfleme
6. English todayfleam

From Middle English fleme, fleom, from Old French flieme, flemie (“open vein”), probably via a Proto-Germanic source (compare Old Saxon flēma, Old High German fliotuma, fliodema, Old English flȳtme (“fleam, lancet”)), borrowed from Vulgar Latin fletoma, *fletomus, from Late Latin flebotomus, phlebotomus, from Ancient Greek φλεβοτόμον (phlebotómon). Compare French flamme, Dutch vlijm, German Fliete, Danish flitte (“fleam”). Doublet of phlebotome.

fleam · noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*plew-“to fly; flow; run”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*flaumaz“stream; current; flood”
3. Old English · inherited fromflēam“fleeing; flight; rush”
4. Middle English · inherited fromfleem
5. English todayfleam

From Middle English fleem, flem (“the rushing of water; current”), probably from Old English flēam (“fleeing; flight; rush”), from Proto-Germanic *flaumaz (“stream; current; flood”), from Proto-Indo-European *plew- (“to fly; flow; run”). Cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk flaum (“flood”).

Words from the same roots