Archaic present participle of 'flee,' meaning running away or escaping from danger or an unpleasant situation.
From Old English fleon, related to German fliehen and Dutch vlieden, all meaning 'to run away.' The -ing suffix forms the present participle in English, making it describe an ongoing action.
The verb 'flee' has one of the oldest roots in English—it appears in texts from over 1,000 years ago, making it one of our most ancient words for escape! The 'fleing' spelling appears in older texts before spelling became standardized.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.