What does flewed mean?
"Flewed" is a rare English adjective meaning infested with fleas — covered with the insects or marked by their bites. It belongs to the rural and dialectal vocabulary of Britain and America, where it was traditionally applied to animals, especially dogs, livestock, and other creatures kept around farms and homes. Calling an animal flewed implies more than mere inconvenience: it suggests neglect, poor husbandry, or an animal living in unhygienic conditions, giving the word a distinctly negative connotation. Today it survives mostly in regional writing, historical accounts, and older veterinary or agricultural prose, having largely been displaced by the more familiar term "flea-bitten." Its obscurity makes it a curiosity for word lovers, but its meaning remains transparent once known, since it derives simply from "flea" combined with the adjectival suffix "-ed," in the same way that words like "rimed" or "rusted" describe something acted upon. For anyone describing a hapless, scratching hound with literary flair, few words fit better.
adjectiveInfested with fleas; covered with or marked by fleas or their bites. A chiefly dialectal descriptor, most often applied to animals such as dogs and livestock.
- Infested with fleas; covered with fleas or their bites (used chiefly of animals).
"The stray dog arrived at the shelter thin, mangy, and thoroughly flewed."
"The barn cats were so flewed that no one wanted them indoors."
"A flewed old hound dozed by the hearth, scratching lazily."
Before the word "flea-bitten" caught on, country folk reached for "flewed" to describe a dog that had clearly lost its battle with the fleas.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flewed
"Flewed" derives from the Old English noun "flēa" (modern "flea"), combined with the suffix "-ed" to form an adjective meaning provided with or afflicted by fleas. It developed within English dialect usage rather than entering from another language, and its closest relatives are simply "flea" itself and "flee," which shares the same Old English root. The word never achieved widespread literary currency, remaining a regional and practical term for describing vermin-ridden animals.
How flewed is actually used
This is a rare, chiefly dialectal word with a rustic, old-fashioned flavor; it appears mainly in regional and historical sources rather than everyday modern speech. It carries an unambiguously negative connotation of neglect or poor condition.
Easily confused with flewed
"Flew" is the past tense of the verb "fly," whereas "flewed" is an adjective describing something infested with fleas.
"Fled" is the past tense of "flee" (to run away), while "flewed" describes being covered with or bitten by fleas.