fleam Meaning & Definition
What Does Fleam Mean?
Fleam is a noun that means A sharp instrument used to open a vein, to lance gums, or the like.
Word Facts for Fleam
| Part of speech | noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /fliːm/ |
| Plural | fleams |
Fleam Definition (Noun)
- A sharp instrument used to open a vein, to lance gums, or the like.
Noun
- The watercourse or runoff from a mill; millstream
- A large trench or gully cut into a meadow in order to drain it
Synonyms of Fleam
The source does not list synonyms for this entry.
Fleam synonyms and antonyms →Word Forms & Grammar
fleam (plural fleams)
Words That Rhyme With Fleam
Origin of Fleam
Origin 1: 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.
Origin 2: 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”).