fleam

Another word I encountered recently in a Thurber essay is fleam.

According to Wikipedia:

A fleam, also flem, flew, flue, fleame, or phleam, was a handheld instrument used for bloodletting.

For a great deal more on that topic, see also A Short History of the Fleam, by Kevin Goodman, who’s described as also being the author of “Ouch! A History of Arrow Wound Treatment from Prehistory to the Nineteenth Century.”

Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged mentions the bloodletting tool, but also notes that fleam can mean:

angle of bevel of the edge of a sawtooth with respect to the plane of the blade

Join the Conversation