Where does “leek” come from?

Leek comes from Middle English lek, from Latin leuga, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leg-, a root meaning to gather or collect.

leek (English): The vegetable "Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum",...

Definitions

  1. The vegetable "Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum",...

Ancestry of “leek”, step by step

leek traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English leke

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishlekeA plant in the genus "Allium"; Something of...
2Old Englishlēaconion, leek; leek; a garden herb, leek, onion,...
3Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
4Proto-West Germanictūnfence
5Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
6Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
7Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via Proto-Celtic ɸlikkā

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Celticɸlikkāstone
2Proto-Indo-Europeanpl̥keh₂flat surface
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₂-flat

Words derived from “leek”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →Every word from Proto-Celtic dūnom →Every word from Gaulish dunum →