Dictionary

fleam en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /fliːm/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. A sharp instrument used to open a vein, to lance gums, or the like.
   • 1831-1850, William Youatt, On the Structure and the Diseases of the Horse A bloodstick - a piece of hard wood loaded at one end with lead — is used to strike the fleam into the vein

Forms

Deriveds

fleamy · fleam tooth · fleam saw

Hypernyms

lancet (sharp instrument)

Translations (4)

ota مفصد (medical instrument) · ota نیشتر (medical instrument) · bg ланцет (medical instrument) · el φλεβοτόμος (medical instrument)

fleam en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /fliːm/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

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”).

Meanings

1. (Northern-England, UK, dialectal) The watercourse or runoff from a mill; millstream
2. (Northern-England, UK, dialectal) A large trench or gully cut into a meadow in order to drain it

Forms

Relateds

fleme · Flemish