noun
- a small surgical instrument with a sharp blade, historically used to make incisions or open veins for bloodletting
Usage: archaic; medical history
Examples
- The physician prepared his fleam before performing the bloodletting procedure.
- Medieval doctors carried a fleam as an essential tool in their medical kit.
- The fleam's sharp point made it ideal for opening a vein with minimal trauma.
- In historical medical texts, the fleam is described as a standard instrument for phlebotomy.