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fleer

verb
/flɪə/UK/flɪɚ/US/fliɹ//ˈfliːə(ɹ)/

Etymology

Possibly from a Scandinavian source, compare Norwegian bokmål flire (“to giggle”), Jutish Danish flire.

  1. derived from *plewk-✻
  2. inherited from *fleuhaną✻
  3. inherited from *fleuhan✻
  4. inherited from flēon
  5. inherited from flen
  6. suffixed as fleer — “flee + er”

Definitions

  1. To make a wry face in contempt, or to grin in scorn

    • LEONATO. Tush, tush, man! never fleer and jest at me: I speak not like a dotard nor a fool, As, under privilege of age, to brag What I have done being young, or what would do, Were I not old.
    • [I]n short, sneering and fleering at him in her cold barren way[.]

  2. To grin with an air of civility

    To grin with an air of civility; to leer.

  3. Mockery

    Mockery; derision.

    • […] And flattery tipt with nauseous fleer, And guilty shame, and servile fear, Envy, and cruelty, and pride, Will in your tainted heart preside.
  4. ›+ 2 more definitions

    1. One who flees.

      • Which fear of the fleers away was no less ignominious, then if[…]they had turned their backs to the enemie.

    2. A surname.

The neighborhood

Derived

fleerer

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for fleer. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA