King James Bible Dictionary

FLEE, verb intransitive

1. To run with rapidity, as from danger; to attempt to escape; to hasten from danger or expected evil. The enemy fled at the first fire.

Arise, take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt. Matthew 2:13.

2. To depart; to leave; to hasten away.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7.

3. To avoid; to keep at a distance from.

FLEE fornication; flee from idolatry. 1 Corinthians 6:10.

To flee the question or from the question, in legislation, is said of a legislator who, when a question is to be put to the house, leaves his seat to avoid the dilemma of voting against his conscience, or giving an unpopular vote. In the phrases in which this verb appears to be transitive, there is really an ellipsis.

The wool of a sheep, whether shorn off or still attached to the skin (Deuteronomy 18:4; Job 31:20). The miracle of Gideon's fleece (Judges 6:37-40) consisted in the dew having fallen at one time on the fleece without any on the floor, and at another time in the fleece remaining dry while the ground was wet with dew.

FLEECE, noun flees. [Latin vellus, from vello, to pluck or tear off.]

The coat of wool shorn from a sheep at one time.

FLEECE, verb transitive

1. To shear off a covering or growth of wool.

2. To strip of money or property; to take from, by severe exactions, under color of law or justice, or pretext of necessity, or by virtue of authority. Arbitrary princes fleece their subjects; and clients complain that they are sometimes fleeced by their lawyers.

This word is rarely or never used for plundering in war by a licentious soldiery; but is properly used to express a stripping by contributions levied on a conquered people.

3. To spread over as with wool; to make white.

FLEE'CED, participle passive Stripped by severe exactions.

FLEE'CED, adjective Furnished with a fleece or with fleeces; as, a sheep is well fleeced

FLEE'CER, noun One who strips or takes by severe exactions.

FLEE'CING, participle present tense Stripping of money or property by severe demands of fees, taxes or contributions.

FLEE'CY, adjective

1. Covered with wool; woolly; as a fleecy flock.

2. Resembling wool or a fleece; soft; complicated; as fleecy snow; fleecy locks; fleecy hosiery.

FLEER, verb intransitive

1. To deride; to sneer; to mock; to gibe; to make a wry face in contempt, or to grin in scorn; as, to fleer and flout.

Covered with an antic face,

To fleer and scorn at our soleminity.

2. To leer; to grin with an air of civility.

A teacherous fleer on the face of deceivers.

FLEER, verb transitive to mock; to flout at.

FLEER, noun

1. Derision or mockery, expressed by words or looks.

And mark the fleers, the gibes, and notable scorns.

2. A grin of civility.

A treacherous fleer on the face of deceivers.

FLEE'RER, noun a mocker; a fawner.

FLEE'RING, participle present tense Deriding; mocking; counterfeiting an air of civility.

FLEET, in English names, denotes a flood, a creek or inlet, a bay or estuary, or a river; as in Fleet-street, North-flete, Fleet-prison.

FLEET, noun [Fleet and float seem to be allied. But whether they are formed from the root of flow, or whether the last consonant is radical, is not obvious. See Float.]

A navy or squadron of ships; a number of ships in company, whether ships of war, or of commerce. It more generally signifies ships of war.

FLEET, adjective [Eng. to flit.]

1. Swift of pace; moving or able to move with rapidity; nimble; light and quick in motion, or moving with lightness and celerity; as a fleet horse or dog.

2. Moving with velocity; as fleet winds.

3. Light; superficially fruitful; or thin; not penetrating deep; as soil.

4. Skimming the surface.

FLEET, verb intransitive

1. To fly swiftly; to hasten; to flit as a light substance. To fleet away is to vanish.

How all the other passions fleet to air.

2. To be in a transient state.

3. to float.

FLEET, verb transitive

1. to skim the surface; to pass over rapidly; as a ship that fleets the gulf.

2. To pass lightly, or in mirth and joy; as, to fleet away time. [Not used.]

3. To skim milk. [Local, in England.]

The verb in the transitive form is rarely or never used in America.

FLEE'TFOOT, adjective Swift of foot; running or able to run with rapidity.

FLEE'TING, participle present tense

1. Passing rapidly; flying with velocity.

2. adjective Transient; not durable; as the fleeting hours or moments.

FLEE'TING-DISH, noun A skimming bowl. [Local.]

FLEE'TLY, adverb Rapidly; lightly and nimbly; swiftly.

FLEE'TNESS, noun Swiftness; rapidity; velocity; celerity; speed; as the fleetness of a horse or a deer.