fleam

American  

[fleem] / flim /

noun

1. Surgery. a kind of lancet, as for opening veins.

2. the beveled leading edge of a sawtooth.

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fleam British  

/ fliːm /

noun

1. archaic a lancet used for letting blood

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Etymology

Origin of fleam

1375–1425; late Middle English fleme, fleom < Middle French flieme ≪ Late Latin phlebotomus, < Greek phlebotómon; see phlebo-, tome

Example Sentences

With a large fleam that he possessed, he twice bled the Andalusian, to the astonishment of the discomfited farrier, and saved its valuable life, also an ounce of gold.

From The Life of George Borrow by Jenkins, Herbert George

Obviously the fleam makes the points weak, but this in coarse saws may be partially remedied by shaping the teeth as in Fig.

From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua

Immediately the fleam was removed and a jet of blood came forth that was caught and measured in a container.

From Bloodletting Instruments in the National Museum of History and Technology by Appel, Toby

From the earliest examples of the fleam, such as the specimen found at Pompeii, this instrument has been associated with the veterinarian.

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