flea
n. countablen. a tiny, jumping insect that lives on animals like dogs or cats and drinks their blood.
n. a small, wingless, blood-sucking insect of the order Siphonaptera, known for its ability to leap great distances and transmit diseases.
The cat has fleas and needs a special treatment.
Pet owners often struggle with flea infestations during the warmer summer months when the insects breed more quickly.
While a single flea bite causes only minor irritation for most animals, some pets develop severe allergic dermatitis in response to the insect's saliva.
From Middle English fle, from Old English flēah, flēa, from Proto-West Germanic flauh, from Proto-Germanic flauhaz (compare West Frisian flie, Low German Flo, Flö, Dutch vlo, German Floh, Icelandic fló), from pre-Germanic plóukos, plówkos, from or akin to Proto-Indo-European *plúsis (compare Latin pulex, Sanskrit प्लुषि (plúṣi)). The archaic plural fleen is from Middle English fleen, flen, from Old English flēan (“fleas”).
Alternative forms.
Commonly used in the plural form when referring to an infestation.