leek

See also: Leek

English

Three leeks

Etymology

From Middle English leek, leke, lek, from Old English lēac (“a garden herb, leek, onion, garlic”), from Proto-Germanic *lauką *laukaz (“leek, onion”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewg- (“to bend”). Cognate with Dutch look (“garlic, leek”), Low German look, Look, German Lauch (“leek, allium”), Danish løg (“onion”), Swedish lök (“onion”), Icelandic laukur (“onion, leek, garlic”). See garlic.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: lēk, IPA(key): /liːk/
  • Rhymes: -iːk
  • Homophone: leak

Noun

leek (plural leeks)

  1. The vegetable Allium ampeloprasum, of the lily family, having edible leaves and an onion-like bulb but with a milder flavour than the onion.
  2. Any of several species of Allium, broadly resembling the domesticated plant in appearance in the wild.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Further reading

Anagrams

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -eːk
  • IPA(key): /leːk/
    • Audio(file)

Etymology 1

From Latin lāicus (“layman, laic”), from Ancient Greek λαϊκός (laïkós, “of the people”), from λαός (laós, “the people”).

Noun

leek m (plural leken, diminutive leekje n)

  1. layman, non-clergyman
  2. layman, non-expert, amateur
Antonyms
Derived terms
  • lekenapostolaat
  • lekenpersoneel
  • lekenrechter
  • lekenstand

Adjective

leek (comparative leker, superlative leekst)

  1. (obsolete) lay, worldly, secular, profane
Inflection
Inflection of leek
uninflected leek
inflected leke
comparative leker
positive comparative superlative
predicative/adverbial leeklekerhet leekst
het leekste
indefinite m./f. sing. lekelekereleekste
n. sing. leeklekerleekste
plural lekelekereleekste
definite lekelekereleekste
partitive leekslekers—

Etymology 2

Cognate with laak, Latin lacus, English lake.

Noun

leek ? (plural leken, diminutive leekje n)

  1. small body of water, like a pool; gave rise to place names

Etymology 3

Unknown; local dialect in the Dutch region Betuwe.

Noun

leek ? (plural leken, diminutive leekje n)

  1. (botany) the plant Rumex crispus
  2. (by extension) related plants of that genus: sorrel, dock
Derived terms
  • koeleek

Etymology 4

Verb

leek

  1. singular past indicative of lijken

Verb

leek

  1. first-person singular present indicative of leken
  2. imperative of leken

Anagrams

Estonian

Noun

leek (genitive leegi, partitive leeki)

  1. blaze, flame, fire

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

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