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flea - 9 dictionary results
flea
[flee] 
–noun
—Idiom| 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,
|
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To flea
| flea (flē) n.
[Middle English fle, from Old English flēah.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Flea
Flea\, v. t. [See Flay.] To flay. [Obs.] He will be fleaced first And horse collars made of's skin. --J. Fletcher.Flea
Flea\, n. [OE. fle, flee, AS. fle['a], fle['a]h; akin to D. ?, OHG. fl?h, G. floh, Icel. fl?, Russ. blocha; prob. from the root of E. flee. ? 84. See Flee.] (Zo["o]l.) An insect belonging to the genus Pulex, of the order Aphaniptera. Fleas are destitute of wings, but have the power of leaping energetically. The bite is poisonous to most persons. The human flea (Pulex irritans), abundant in Europe, is rare in America, where the dog flea (P. canis) takes its place. See Aphaniptera, and Dog flea. See Illustration in Appendix. A flea in the ear, an unwelcome hint or unexpected reply, annoying like a flea; an irritating repulse; as, to put a flea in one's ear; to go away with a flea in one's ear. Beach flea, Black flea, etc. See under Beach, etc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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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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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,
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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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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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Flea
David at the cave of Adullam thus addressed his persecutor Saul (1 Sam. 24:14): "After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea?" He thus speaks of himself as the poor, contemptible object of the monarch's pursuit, a "worthy object truly for an expedition of the king of Israel with his picked troops!" This insect is in Eastern language the popular emblem of insignificance. In 1 Sam. 26:20 the LXX. read "come out to seek my life" instead of "to seek a flea."
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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flea
In addition to the idioms beginning with flea, also see hurt a fly (flea).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Flea Protection for Dogs
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K9 Advantix® repels and kills them. Give your dog more! Get the info.
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