leek

From Middle English leke, leek, lek, from Old English lēac (“a garden herb, leek, onion, garlic”), from Proto-West Germanic *lauk, from Proto-Germanic *lauką *laukaz (“leek, onion”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewg- (“to bend”).

Cognate with Dutch look (“garlic, leek”), German Low German Look (“leek”), German Lauch (“leek, allium”), Danish løg (“onion”), Swedish lök (“onion”), Icelandic laukur (“onion, leek, garlic”). See garlic.

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

leek (plural leeks)

1. The vegetable Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum, 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.

• (Allium ampeloprasum): broadleaf wild leek, the Cambrian symbol (literary), garden leek, scallion (US, Scotland)

• Asian leek (Allium fistulosum)
• broadleaf wild leek (Allium ampeloprasum, Allium atroviolaceum)
• narrowleaf wild leek (Allium tricoccum var. burdickii)
• garden leek (Allium ampeloprasum, syn. Allium porrum)
• houseleek (Sempervivum)
• leek moth (Acrolepiopsis assectella)
• leek orchid (Prasophyllum spp.)
• leek rust (Puccinia allii)
• lily leek (Allium moly)
• narrowleaf wild leek (Allium tricoccum var. burdickii)
• Persian leek (Allium ampeloprasum cultivar)
• sand leek (Allium scorodoprasum)
• threecorner leek (Allium triquetrum)

• → Maori: riki

• garlic
• leak
• Thrips tabaci

• leek on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Allium ampeloprasum on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• leek at USDA Plants database

• Kele, elke, keel, lekë

• IPA^(key): /leːk/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: leek
• Rhymes: -eːk
• Homophone: Leek

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

leek m (plural leken, diminutive leekje n)

1. layman, non-clergyman
2. layman, non-expert, amateur

• clericus, geestelijke
• deskundige, expert, professional

• lekenapostolaat
• lekenpersoneel
• lekenrechter
• lekenstand

leek (comparative leker, superlative leekst)

1. (obsolete) lay, worldly, secular, profane

From Middle Dutch leke, from Old Dutch *leke, from Old Norse lœkr, from Proto-Germanic *lōkiz. Cognate with Dutch laak, English lake.

leek ? (plural leken, diminutive leekje n)

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

Local dialect in the Dutch region Betuwe, from Latin lapathum (“kind of sorrel”).

leek ? (plural leken, diminutive leekje n)

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

• koeleek

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

leek

1. singular past indicative of lijken

leek

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

• keel, leke

From Proto-Finnic *leekki, cognate to Finnish liekki and Karelian liekki. Possibly the same root as in Votic lõõkkua (“to move, to sway”) and Finnish liekkua.

leek (genitive leegi, partitive leeki)

1. blaze, flame, fire

   Mu korter on leekides.

   My apartment is up in flames.

• leegiheitja

leek

1. Alternative form of lek