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dog flea

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flea

[flee]
–noun
1. any of numerous small, wingless bloodsucking insects of the order Siphonaptera, parasitic upon mammals and birds and noted for their ability to leap.
2. either of two common fleas of the genus Ctenocephalides, the very small, black C. felis (cat flea) or the similar but larger C. canis (dog flea), both of which infest cats, dogs, and occasionally humans.
3. any of various small beetles and crustaceans that leap like a flea or swim in a jumpy manner, as the water flea and beach flea.
4. flea in one's ear,
a. a disconcerting rebuke or rebuff: The next time he shows his face around here he'll get a flea in his ear.
b. a broad hint.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME fle, OE flēah, flēa; c. G Floh; akin to flee
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

flea 
O.E. fleah, from P.Gmc. *flaukh- (cf. O.N. flo, M.Du. vlo, Ger. floh), perhaps related to O.E. fleon "to flee," with a notion of "the jumping parasite." Flea market (1920), especially the Fr. marché aux puces in Paris, so-called "because there are so many second-hand articles sold of all kinds that they are believed to gather fleas."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: dog flea
Function: noun
: a flea of the genus Ctenocephalides (C. canis) that feeds chiefly on dogs and cats

Main Entry: flea
Pronunciation: 'flE
Function: noun
: any of the order Siphonaptera comprising wingless bloodsucking insects that have a hard laterallycompressed body and legs adapted to leaping and that feed on warm-blooded animals —see CAT FLEA, CHIGOE 1, DOG FLEA, RAT FLEA, SAND FLEA, STICKTIGHT FLEA
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

flea (flē)
n.
Any of various small, wingless, bloodsucking insects of the order Siphonaptera that have legs adapted for jumping and are parasitic in the hair and feathers of warm-blooded animals.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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