leech

head

leech (masculine leechte, feminine and plural leechte or leech, comparative leechter, superlative et leechste)

leechte (masculine)
leechte (feminine plural)
leech (feminine plural)
leechter (comparative)
et leechste (superlative)
leech (positive)
strong (positive)
leechte (masculine positive)
leech (neuter positive)
leechte (feminine positive)
leechte (positive)
weak (positive)
leechte (neuter positive)
partitive (positive)
leechtes (masculine neuter positive)
initial (positive)
leechtem (masculine neuter positive)
leechter (feminine positive)
leechte (plural positive)
non-initial (positive)
leechter (comparative)
strong (comparative)
leechtere (comparative masculine)
leechter (comparative feminine neuter)
weak (comparative)
partitive (comparative)
leechteres (comparative masculine neuter)
initial (comparative)
leechterem (comparative masculine neuter)
leechterer (comparative feminine)
leechtere (comparative plural)
non-initial (comparative)
leechtere (comparative)
et leechste (superlative)
strong (superlative)
leechste (superlative)
weak (superlative)
initial (superlative)
leechstem (masculine neuter superlative)
leechster (feminine superlative)
leechste (plural superlative)
non-initial (superlative)
not. (superlative)
leich (alternative)
liëht (alternative)
leht (alternative)
licht (alternative)
liecht (alternative)
lechte (alternative)
leicht (alternative)

From Middle High German līht, from Proto-Germanic *linhtaz. The form shows shortening before -ht followed by later lengthening in the same position (cf. the same in Luxembourgish liicht). The Colognian form leich is probably influenced by Standard German (reinforced by analogy with words where Colognian has -ei- for other Ripuarian -ee-, from Middle High German -ei-).


leech

The leech on his leg had swelled to more than five inches long, puffed and swollen on his blood.

2003, William W. Johnstone, The Last Of The Dog Team, page 195:

An aquatic blood-sucking annelid of class Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis.

'Wrecked his body and his mind, no use to hisself or his family or nobody, just a leech on society'.

2000, Ray Garmon, The Man Who Just Didn't Care, page 20:

At this point, I felt this man was a leech. I suspected that he had spent a lifetime living off the good will of women that he met.

2006, D. L. Harman, A State of Nine One One, page 106:

(figuratively) A person who derives profit from others in a parasitic fashion.

(medicine, dated) A glass tube designed for drawing blood from damaged tissue by means of a vacuum.

From Middle English leche (“blood-sucking worm”), from Old English lǣċe (“blood-sucking worm”), akin to Middle Dutch lāke ("blood-sucking worm"; > modern Dutch laak).

gloss

"blood-sucking worm"; > modern Dutch <i class="Latn mention" lang="nl">laak</i>


leech

The poppy made him sleep and while he slept they leeched him to drain off the bad blood.

2003, George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords:

(transitive, literally) To apply a leech medicinally, so that it sucks blood from the patient.

Near-synonyms: mooch, suck down

Bert leeched hundreds of files from the BBS, but never uploaded anything in return.

Her daughter Astrid (new Tim Burton muse Jenna Ortega) barely speaks to her, and her greasy-haired boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux, proving once again to be a comedic tour de force) obviously leeching off her fame and money

2024 September 6, Anna McKibbin, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice reinvigorates Tim Burton’s stale brand, returning to practical playfulness”, in AV Club:

(transitive, figuratively) To drain (resources) without giving back.

en-verb

leech (third-person singular simple present leeches, present participle leeching, simple past and past participle leeched)

leeches (present singular third-person)
leeching (participle present)
leeched (participle past)
leeched (past)


leech

Many skillful leeches him abide to salve his hurts.

1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book)”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

The word Physitian we do vulgarly abuse (as we doe very many other(s)) for a Leech , or Medicus.

1610, Bolton, Armoriesː
As if an expert leech must needs be expert in the physicks (that is, in those speculations which concerne the workes of nature) the nearest word to fall with our tongue, yet not farre from the thing, was physitian.

Thus virtuous Orsin was endued / With learning, conduct, fortitude / Incomparable; and as the prince / Of poets, Homer, sung long since, / A skilful leech is better far, / Than half a hundred men of war [...]

1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678, →OCLC; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLC, page 2:

Can this proud leech, with all his boasted skill, / Amend the soul or body, wit or will?

1807, George Crabbeː, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

For the sake of the minister’s health, and to enable the leech to gather plants with healing balm in them, they took long walks on the seashore or in the forest; mingling various talk with the plash and murmur of the waves, and the solemn wind anthem among in treetops.

1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC, page 146:

He coughed sputum stained with blood, and a scraping, crackling noise came from his chest, quite audible to anyone in the room. ‘Lungs possibly not too good,’ the leech said.

1992, Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety, Harper Perennial, published 2007, page 11:

Their functions are threefold, those of the medicine-man (the leech, or healer by supernatural means); of the soothsayer (the prophet through communion with the invisible world); and of the priest, especially in his capacity as exorcist

1900, Augustus Henry Keane, Man, Past and Present, Cambridge: The University Press:

In ancient times runesters were a specialized class separate from that of the witch or ordinary spell caster (much as the other specialists such as the leech or healer and the seithkona were different from a witch), and even today many believe it takes years of training to become adept at using the runes in spell work.

1996, Swain Wodening, “Scandinavian Craft Lesson 6: Runic Divination”, Theod Magazine 3 (4)

"Leech?" "Not another doctor".

2003, Brian Froud, Ari Berk, The Runes of Elfland, Pavillion Books, →ISBN, page 22:

There are many kinds of "Leech" or "healer" as there are healing techniques, some are more powerful than others and some are very specific to certain illnesses and complaints; some use potions and unguents, others crystals and stones, others galdr and some work their healing from within the hidden realms themselves.

2004, Runic John, The Book of Seidr, Capall Bann Publishing, →ISBN, page 282:

From Middle English leche (“physician”), from Old English lǣċe (“doctor, physician”), from Proto-West Germanic *lākī, from Proto-Germanic *lēkijaz (“doctor”), of disputed origin, but usually thought to be connected with Proto-Celtic (compare Old Irish líaig (“charmer, exorcist, physician”)); perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to collect, gather”).
Cognate with Old Frisian lētza (“physician”), Old Saxon lāki (“physician”), Old High German lāhhi (“doctor, healer”), Danish læge (“doctor, surgeon”), Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃 (lēkeis, “physician”). Slavic words such as Serbo-Croatian ljèkār, Polish lekarz (“physician, doctor”) are usually considered to be borrowings from Germanic.


leech

1564, Accounts of Louth Corporalː
Paid for leeching.. my horses very sick.

1566–74, Accounts of the Treasurer of Scotlandː
To one man (that) broke his leg in Strivelin … Item to the man that leecheth him.

though there are many Pretenders to the Art of Farriering and Cow-leeching, yet many of them are very ignorant , especially in the Countrie

1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], →OCLC:

1850, Blackieː
A disease that none may leech.

From Middle English lechen (“to cure, heal, treat”), from Middle English leche (“doctor, physician”). Compare Swedish läka (“to heal”).


leech

To help combat these problems, almost all sailmakers trim the leeches of their headsails to a hollow or concave profile and enclose a LEECHLINE within the leech tabling.

1984, Sven Donaldson, A Sailor's Guide to Sails, page 130:

(nautical) The vertical edge of a square sail.

Trim the leech of the jib parallel to the main by watching the slot between the mainsail and the jib.

2004, Gary Jobson, Gary Jobson's Championship Sailing, page 176:

(nautical) The aft edge of a triangular sail.

From Middle English lek, leche, lyche, from Old Norse lík (“leechline”), from Proto-West Germanic *līk, from Proto-Germanic *līką (compare West Frisian lyk (“band”), Dutch lijk (“boltrope”), Middle High German geleich (“joint, limb”)), from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- ‘to bind’ (compare Latin ligō (“tie, bind”), Ukrainian нали́гати (nalýhaty, “to bridle, fetter”), Albanian lidh (“to bind”), Hittite link- (caus. linganu-) ‘to swear’ (with -n- infix).


leech

leech (adverbial positive predicative)
leger (adverbial comparative predicative)
it leechst (adverbial predicative superlative)
it leechste (adverbial predicative superlative)
lege (common-gender indefinite positive singular)
legere (common-gender comparative indefinite singular)
leechste (common-gender indefinite singular superlative)
leech (indefinite neuter positive singular)
leger (comparative indefinite neuter singular)
leechste (indefinite neuter singular superlative)
lege (indefinite plural positive)
legere (comparative indefinite plural)
leechste (indefinite plural superlative)
lege (definite positive)
legere (comparative definite)
leechste (definite superlative)
leechs (partitive positive)
legers (comparative partitive)

From Old Frisian lēch, from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz, *lēgijaz. Cognate with English low, Scots laigh, Low German leeg, Dutch laag.


leech

De opfrege sidetitel wie ûnjildich, leech, of ferkeard keppele.

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From Old Frisian lethich, from Proto-Germanic *liþugaz. Cognate with English lithy, Low German leddig, Dutch leeg, German ledig.


leech

From Middle English læche, from Old English lǣċe, from Proto-West Germanic *lākī.