Old English

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Etymology

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From Proto-West Germanic *fleuhan, from Proto-Germanic *fleuhaną. Cognate with Old Frisian fliā, Old Saxon fliohan, Old Dutch flian, Old High German fliohan, Old Norse flýja, Gothic 𐌸𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽 (þliuhan).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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flēon

  1. to flee
  2. to run away, run from, escape
    Mid þē sind þā þing þe þū flīehst.
    The things that you run from are with you.
  3. to avoid

Usage notes

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  • In the sense of fleeing or running from something, fleon was usually used transitively without a preposition, as in hē flēah þone beran (literally "he fled the bear"). However, uses with fram ("from") are occasionally attested.

Conjugation

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Middle English: flen, fleon
    • English: flee
    • Scots: flee
    • Yola: flaadhokes