Where does “leach” come from?
Leach comes from Middle English leche, from Old English lǣċe, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to collect or gather, with sense development from gathering medicinal herbs to extracting substances.
leach (English): A quantity of wood ashes, through which water...
Definitions
- A quantity of wood ashes, through which water...
Ancestry of “leach”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | leche | physician; leachate; sluggish stream; doctor,... |
| 2 | Old English | lǣċe | doctor, physician; blood-sucking worm; muddy... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | lākī | doctor, physician |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lēkijaz | doctor, physician |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |
Words derived from “leach”