Middle English Dictionary Entry

flẹ̄n v.(1)
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Entry Info

Forms flẹ̄n v.(1) Also fleo(n, flo(n, vleon, vle, fleonne(n, flænne, flenne, flonne, fleiȝen, fliȝe, flie. Forms: pr. ppl. flẹ̄-ing, -and, -inde, vlẹ̄-inde, -ing, fleoinde, vleo-, fleonde, flēnde, fleoninde, flī-ing, -and, flēhand; sg. 3 flẹ̄th, vlẹ̄þ, fleoþ, vlyeþ, fleith, flicþ, fliȝt, vliȝþ, flīþ, flīes; ipv. sg. flẹ̄, fleo, flīȝ, flīh; sbj. sg. flẹ̄, fleo, flei, flīȝe, flīe; p. sg. flǣh, fleah, vleaȝ, flēgh, fleigh, flīgh, flīȝ, fleu(ȝh, flew, flōgh, flouȝ, flō̆w(e, flagh, flaȝe, fleede, fled(de, vledde; p.pl. fluȝ(h)en, fluhen, fluwen, vluwen, flūe(n, flōghen, vlōȝe(n, flō̆wen, floun, flagh(e, fleede, fled(den, vledden; ppl. i)flōȝe(n, flowe, iflōhen, i)flō̆wen, ivlō̆wen, flawen, floon, flain, fleed, fled(d; perf. 3 is flō̆wen, is fled.
Etymology OE flēon, flīon; sg. 3 flȳhþ, flīhþ, flēhþ, flȳþ, flī(e)þ, flēþ, flēoþ; p. flēah, flugon; ppl. flogen. OE flēon 'flee' differed from flēogan 'fly' only in the stem of the present. In some dialects of ME the two verbs seem to have coalesced completely; in others they remained distinct in the present stem. In the 14. cent. the past tense form of fleien 'put to flight' (OE flēgde) was introduced to differentiate flẹ̄n 'flee' from flīen 'fly'. Quotations have been assigned to flẹ̄n 'flee', fleien 'put to flight', and flīen 'fly' on the basis of meaning (at times rather arbitrarily), irrespective of the OE source of the ME form.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

Note: Cp. flien & fleien.
1a.
(a) To retreat, run away, flee; ~ awei, awei ~; also fig., of the sea: to roll back; (b) to flee (an enemy), run away from; (c) as inflected infin. (?also as ppl.) preceded by to; (d) ~ fro (from), to run away from (an enemy); ~ into (intil, to, unto), to flee to (someone) for protection, retreat into (a place), take refuge in (a place); also fig.; (e) refl. to retreat, flee; to betake oneself (to a place or person) for aid or protection, take refuge; (f) fleing bataile, troops in retreat or flight; the fleing, fugitives; ~ a (on) fot, to retreat the space of one foot; ~ no fot, not to retreat at all; ~ (one's) wei, to run away; ~ to hirn, to retreat into a corner, hide oneself in a corner; fle thider the thou fle, whither ever thou flest, flee where you will; wel fight that wel fleth, he fights well who retreats well, discretion is the better part of valor.
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1b.
To be inclined to flee, be timid or fearful; to fear or respect (a prohibition); ppl. fleing as adj., ?timid; ?inconstant [see sense 5.].
Show 3 Quotations
1c.
To put (someone) to flight, to drive away, to pursue; fig. to cast out (worldly wealth); fled peple, fugitives; fled womman, an exiled woman. [Cp. fleien put to flight.]
Show 14 Quotations
2.
(a) To escape; to evade punishment [quot.: a1325]; -- also with fro, from, out of; (b) to escape from (blows, sorrow, one's destiny, someone's wrath, etc.); to evade (someone's perceiving or knowing).
Show 21 Quotations
3.
(a) To flee out of or depart from (a place), to leave, depart, go away; fig. to die; -- also with from, of, out, out of; (b) to desert or depart from (someone), to go away; -- often with fro, from, out from.
Show 36 Quotations
4.
(a) To avoid (something), to shun (vice, error); ~ occasioun, to avoid a chance, an opportunity, temptation; -- also with fro, from; (b) to give up (something); to renounce (the world, friendship, love, etc.); -- also with fro; (c) to refrain from (doing something).
Show 47 Quotations
5.
To flinch, turn aside, give way; to turn aside (from a desire or purpose, from a commandment or service); ~ to and fro, to vacillate; of eyes: to be shifty.
Show 6 Quotations
6.
(a) Of things: to depart, vanish, be lost; to depart (from the mind or memory), be forgotten; of time: to pass; (b) to be fleeting or transitory; fleing thinges, transitory or temporal things.
Show 22 Quotations
7.
Med. Of a disease: fleing, fliand, shifting from one part of the body to another.
Show 3 Quotations

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • c1450(c1415) Roy.Serm.(Roy 18.B.23)235/10 : Anon þei flewȝ and þer enmyes sewed hem and put many of hem to dethe.
    • Note: New spelling
  • (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)7.489 : He þat haþ non oþer socour moste nedes flee to bolde dayes [read: dedes] of manhode and of strengþe.
    • Note: No sense for this quot. = have recourse to (a well-attested sense of confugio in CL).--per MJW
    Note: Higd.(2): flee to manhode; L ut ad probitatem confugiat
    Note: Closest to the fig. sense of 1a.(d) but those quots. more lit. an extension of 'flee' than this, & the ojb. of to prep. is a person or place--per MJW

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