Fleak Fleak (flēk) noun A flake; a thread or twist. [ Obsolete]

Little long fleaks or threads of hemp.

Dr. H. More.

Fleaking Fleak"ing noun A light covering of reeds, over which the main covering is laid, in thatching houses. [ Prov. Eng.] Wright.

Fleam Fleam noun [ French flamme , Old French flieme , from Late Latin flevotomum , phlebotomum ; confer Dutch vlijm . See Phlebotomy .] (Surg. & Far.) A sharp instrument used for opening veins, lancing gums, etc.; a kind of lancet.

Fleam tooth , a tooth of a saw shaped like an isosceles triangle; a peg tooth. Knight.

Fleamy Fleam"y adjective Bloody; clotted. [ Obsolete or Prov.]

Foamy bubbling of a fleamy brain.

Marston.

Flear Flear transitive verb & i. See Fleer .

Fleawort Flea"wort` noun (Botany) An herb used in medicine ( Plantago Psyllium ), named from the shape of its seeds. Loudon.

Flèche Flèche noun [ French flèche , prop., an arrow.] (Fort.) A simple fieldwork, consisting of two faces forming a salient angle pointing outward and open at the gorge.

Fleck Fleck (flĕk) noun A flake; also, a lock, as of wool. [ Obsolete] J. Martin.

Fleck Fleck noun [ Confer Icelandic flekkr ; akin to Swedish fläck , Dutch vlek , German fleck , and perhaps to English flitch .] A spot; a streak; a speckle. "A sunny fleck ." Longfellow.

Life is dashed with flecks of sin.

tennyson.

Fleck Fleck transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Flecked ; present participle & verbal noun Flecking .] [ Confer Icelandic flekka , Swedish fläcka , Dutch vlekken , vlakken , German flecken . See Fleck , noun ] To spot; to streak or stripe; to variegate; to dapple.

Both flecked with white, the true Arcadian strain.

Dryden.

A bird, a cloud, flecking the sunny air.

Trench.

Flecker Fleck"er transitive verb To fleck. Johnson.

Fleckless Fleck"less adjective Without spot or blame. [ R.]

My consnience will not count me fleckless .

Tennyson.

Flection Flec"tion noun [ See Flexion .] 1. The act of bending, or state of being bent.

2. The variation of words by declension, comparison, or conjugation; inflection.

Flectional Flec"tion·al adjective Capable of, or pertaining to, flection or inflection.

A flectional word is a phrase in the bud.

Earle.

Flector Flec"tor noun A flexor.

Fled Fled imperfect & past participle of Flee .

Fledge Fledge adjective [ Middle English flegge , flygge ; akin to Dutch vlug , German flügge , flücke , Old High German flucchi , Icelandic fleygr , and to English fly . √84. See Fly , intransitive verb ] Feathered; furnished with feathers or wings; able to fly.

His shoulders, fledge with wings.

Milton.

Fledge Fledge transitive verb & i. [ imperfect & past participle Fledged ; present participle & verbal noun Fledging .] 1. To furnish with feathers; to supply with the feathers necessary for flight.

The birds were not as yet fledged enough to shift for themselves.

L'Estrange.

2. To furnish or adorn with any soft covering.

Your master, whose chin is not yet fledged .

Shak.

Fledgeling Fledge"ling noun A young bird just fledged.

Flee Flee (flē) intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Fled (flĕd); present participle & verbal noun Fleeing .] [ Middle English fleon , fleen , Anglo-Saxon fleón ( imperf . fleáh ); akin to Dutch vlieden , Old High German & Old Saxon fliohan , German fliehen , Icelandic flȳja (imperf. flȳði ), Danish flye , Swedish fly (imperf. flydde ), Goth. þliuhan . √84. Confer Flight .] To run away, as from danger or evil; to avoid in an alarmed or cowardly manner; to hasten off; -- usually with from . This is sometimes omitted, making the verb transitive.

[ He] cowardly fled , not having struck one stroke.

Shak.

Flee fornication.

1 Cor. vi. 18.

So fled his enemies my warlike father.

Shak.

» When great speed is to be indicated, we commonly use fly , not flee ; as, fly hence to France with the utmost speed. "Whither shall I fly to 'scape their hands?" Shak. See Fly , intransitive verb , 5.

Fleece Fleece (flēs) noun [ Middle English flees , Anglo-Saxon fleós ; akin to Dutch flies , vlies .] 1. The entire coat of wool that covers a sheep or other similar animal; also, the quantity shorn from a sheep, or animal, at one time.

Who shore me
Like a tame wether, all my precious fleece .

Milton.

2. Any soft woolly covering resembling a fleece.

3. (Manuf.) The fine web of cotton or wool removed by the doffing knife from the cylinder of a carding machine.

Fleece wool , wool shorn from the sheep. -- Golden fleece . See under Golden .

Fleece Fleece transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Fleeced ; present participle & verbal noun Fleecing .] 1. To deprive of a fleece, or natural covering of wool.

2. To strip of money or other property unjustly, especially by trickery or fraud; to bring to straits by oppressions and exactions.

Whilst pope and prince shared the wool betwixt them, the people were finely fleeced .

Fuller.

3. To spread over as with wool. [ R.] Thomson.

Fleeced Fleeced adjective 1. Furnished with a fleece; as, a sheep is well fleeced . Spenser.

2. Stripped of a fleece; plundered; robbed.

Fleeceless Fleece"less adjective Without a fleece.

Fleecer Flee"cer noun One who fleeces or strips unjustly, especially by trickery or fraund. Prynne.

Fleecy Flee"cy adjective Covered with, made of, or resembling, a fleece. " Fleecy flocks." Prior.

Fleen Fleen noun plural Obsolete plural of Flea . Chaucer.

Fleer Fle"er noun One who flees. Ld. Berners.

Fleer Fleer [ imperfect & past participle Fleered ; present participle & verbal noun Fleering .] [ Middle English flerien ; confer Scot. fleyr , Norw. flira to titter, giggle, laugh at nothing, Middle High German vlerre , vlarre , a wide wound.] 1. To make a wry face in contempt, or to grin in scorn; to deride; to sneer; to mock; to gibe; as, to fleer and flout.

To fleer and scorn at our solemnity.

Shak.

2. To grin with an air of civility; to leer. [ Obsolete]

Grinning and fleering as though they went to a bear baiting.

Latimer.

Fleer Fleer transitive verb To mock; to flout at. Beau. & Fl.

Fleer Fleer noun 1. A word or look of derision or mockery.

And mark the fleers , the gibes, and notable scorn.

Shak.

2. A grin of civility; a leer. [ Obsolete]

A sly, treacherous fleer on the face of deceivers.

South.

Fleerer Fleer"er noun One who fleers. Beau. & Fl.

Fleeringly Fleer"ing·ly adverb In a fleering manner.

Fleet Fleet intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Fleeted ; present participle & verbal noun Fleeting .] [ Middle English fleten , fleoten , to swim, Anglo-Saxon fleótan to swim, float; akin to Dutch vlieten to flow, Old Saxon fliotan , Old High German fliozzan , German fliessen , Icelandic fljōta to float, flow, Swedish flyta , Dutch flyde , Latin pluere to rain, Greek ... to sail, swim, float, Sanskrit plu to swim, sail. √84. Confer Fleet , noun & adjective , Float , Pluvial , Flow .] 1. To sail; to float. [ Obsolete]

And in frail wood on Adrian Gulf doth fleet .

Spenser.

2. To fly swiftly; to pass over quickly; to hasten; to flit as a light substance.

All the unaccomplished works of Nature's hand, . . .
Dissolved on earth, fleet hither.

Milton.

3. (Nautical) To slip on the whelps or the barrel of a capstan or windlass; -- said of a cable or hawser.

Fleet Fleet transitive verb 1. To pass over rapidly; to skin the surface of; as, a ship that fleets the gulf. Spenser.

2. To hasten over; to cause to pass away lighty, or in mirth and joy.

Many young gentlemen flock to him, and fleet the time carelessly.

Shak.

3. (Nautical) (a) To draw apart the blocks of; -- said of a tackle. Totten.

(b) To cause to slip down the barrel of a capstan or windlass, as a rope or chain.

Fleet Fleet adjective [ Compar. Fleeter ; superl. Fleetest .] [ Confer Icelandic flj...tr quick. See Fleet , intransitive verb ] 1. Swift in motion; moving with velocity; light and quick in going from place to place; nimble.

In mail their horses clad, yet fleet and strong.

Milton.

2. Light; superficially thin; not penetrating deep, as soil. [ Prov. Eng.] Mortimer.

Fleet Fleet noun [ Middle English flete , fleote , Anglo-Saxon fleót ship, from fleótan to float, swim. See Fleet , intransitive verb and confer Float .] A number of vessels in company, especially war vessels; also, the collective naval force of a country, etc.

Fleet captain , the senior aid of the admiral of a fleet, when a captain. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Fleet Fleet noun [ Anglo-Saxon fleót a place where vessels float, bay, river; akin to Dutch vliet rill, brook, German fliess . See Fleet , intransitive verb ] 1. A flood; a creek or inlet; a bay or estuary; a river; -- obsolete, except as a place name, -- as Fleet Street in London.

Together wove we nets to entrap the fish
In floods and sedgy fleets .

Matthewes.

2. A former prison in London, which originally stood near a stream, the Fleet (now filled up).

Fleet parson , a clergyman of low character, in, or in the vicinity of, the Fleet prison, who was ready to unite persons in marriage (called Fleet marriage ) at any hour, without public notice, witnesses, or consent of parents.

Fleet Fleet transitive verb [ Anglo-Saxon flēt cream, from fleótan to float. See Fleet , intransitive verb ] To take the cream from; to skim. [ Prov. Eng.] Johnson.

Fleet Fleet intransitive verb (Nautical) To move or change in position; -- said of persons; as, the crew fleeted aft.

Fleet Fleet" transitive verb (Nautical) To move or change in position; used only in special phrases; as, of fleet aft the crew.

We got the long "stick" . . . down and " fleeted " aft, where it was secured.

F. T. Bullen.

Fleet-foot Fleet"-foot` adjective Swift of foot. Shak.

Fleeten Fleet"en noun Fleeted or skimmed milk. [ Obsolete]

Fleeten face , a face of the color of fleeten, i. e. , blanched; hence, a coward. "You know where you are, you fleeten face ." Beau. & Fl.

Fleeting Fleet"ing adjective Passing swiftly away; not durable; transient; transitory; as, the fleeting hours or moments.

Syn. -- Evanescent; ephemeral. See Transient .

Fleetingly Fleet"ing·ly adverb In a fleeting manner; swiftly.

Fleetings Fleet"ings noun plural A mixture of buttermilk and boiling whey; curds. [ prov. Eng.] Wright.

Fleetly Fleet"ly adverb In a fleet manner; rapidly.

Fleetness Fleet"ness noun Swiftness; rapidity; velocity; celerity; speed; as, the fleetness of a horse or of time.

Fleigh Fleigh obsolete imperfect of Fly . Chaucer.

Fleme Fleme transitive verb [ Anglo-Saxon flēman , flȳman .] To banish; to drive out; to expel. [ Obsolete] "Appetite flemeth discretion ." Chaucer.

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