Meanings
plural fleabanes
- Any of various species of flowering plants in certain genera in family Asteraceae, that typically repel insects:
- mostly in two tribes of subfamily Asteroideae
“I will bewitch them with flea-bane, blister them with hog-weed,” he said, vainly looking for a suitable spell.
1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 1191 more example
On a sunny September morning, with the trees still green, but the asters and fleabanes already taking over in ditch and dalk, Van set out for Ladoga, N.A.
1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin, published 2011, page 120 - Erigeron spp., especially Erigeron acre (blue fleabane)
- Inula spp. (yellowheads)
- Pluchea spp. (camphorweeds)
- Pulicaria spp. (false fleabane), especially common fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica subsp. dysenterica, formerly Inula dysenterica)
- Also, in subfamily Cichorioideae, Vernonia spp. (ironweeds).
Synonyms & antonyms
nounhairy perennial Eurasian herb with yellow daisylike flowers reputed to destroy or drive away fleas
nouncommon North American weed with linear leaves and small discoid heads of yellowish flowers; widely naturalized throughout temperate regions; sometimes placed in genus Erigeron
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Ancient Greek κόνυζα
- κόνυζα (kónuza)Conyza
Bulgarian злолетница
- злолетница (zloletnica)Erigeron (especially E. acre)
Catalan erígeron
- erígeronErigeron (especially E. acre)
Dutch fijnstraal
- fijnstraalErigeron (especially E. acre)
French vergerette, encensière
- vergeretteConyza
- encensièreConyza
German Berufkraut
- BerufkrautErigeron (especially E. acre)
Māori porerarua
- poreraruaErigeron (especially E. acre)
Welsh amrhydlwyd, amrhydlwyd
- amrhydlwydErigeron (especially E. acre)
- amrhydlwydConyza
Cite this entry
fleabane. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fleabane
“fleabane.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fleabane. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fleabane,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fleabane.
Source: fleabane on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.