Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “lepre” come from?

lepre (Middle English) comes from Old French lepre, from Latin leprae, from Ancient Greek λέπρα, from Ancient Greek λεπρός, from Ancient Greek λεπίς, from Ancient Greek λέπω — peel, strip off the rind or husk.

Ancestry of “lepre”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchlepreleprosy
2Latinlepraenominative plural of lepra; genitive singular of...
3Ancient Greekλέπραleprosy
4Ancient Greekλεπρόςscaly, scabby, rough; leprous, mangy
5Ancient Greekλεπίςscale, flake, shell, husk; epithelial debris;...
6Ancient Greekλέπωpeel, strip off the rind or husk

Words derived from “lepre”

  • leper
  • belepered
  • lepress
  • lepered
Every word from Ancient Greek λέπω →