fleume

Middle English

Noun

fleume

1. Alternative form of flewme

Old French

Etymology

Latin phlegma < Ancient Greek φλέγμα (phlégma).

Noun

fleume oblique singular, f (oblique plural fleumes, nominative singular fleume, nominative plural fleumes)

1. phlegm (one of the four elements of the body)
   • 1377, Bernard de Gordon, Fleur de lis de medecine (a.k.a. lilium medicine):

     Item on peult demander se la fleume se peult adurcir

     One can ask oneself if the phlegm will harden

Descendants

• French: flegme (relatinized)
• → Middle English: flewme, fleme, fleume, flemne, flewm
  • English: phlegm (dialectal fleam)
  • Scots: fleem
• → Neapolitan: freoma