fleam
Americannoun
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Surgery. a kind of lancet, as for opening veins.
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the beveled leading edge of a sawtooth.
noun
Etymology
Origin of fleam
1375–1425; late Middle English fleme, fleom < Middle French flieme ≪ Late Latin phlebotomus, < Greek phlebotómon; see phlebo-, tome
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shown are a spring lancet and a fleam.
From Bloodletting Instruments in the National Museum of History and Technology by Appel, Toby
The result of this fleam would be that the tooth, instead of cutting equal and level all the way across as in Fig.
From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua
The operation is performed by three old women, two to hold the patient, and the third to use the fleam.
From The Fijians A Study of the Decay of Custom by Thomson, Basil
These are enlarged versions of the fleam employed in human bloodletting.
From Bloodletting Instruments in the National Museum of History and Technology by Appel, Toby
Since the specimens found in museums vary in size, it is likely that this type of fleam was used on both animals and humans.
From Bloodletting Instruments in the National Museum of History and Technology by Appel, Toby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
