leac

Irish

Alternative forms

• leag

Etymology

From Old Irish lecc, from Proto-Celtic *ɸlikkā, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥keh₂ (“flat surface”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”).

Celtic cognates include Welsh llech, Breton lec'h, Cornish legh, and Gaulish Are-lica (toponym). Indo-European cognates include Ancient Greek πλάξ (pláx, “flat stone”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l̠ʲak/, (Cois Fharraige) [l̠ʲæːk]

Noun

leac f (genitive singular leice or lice, nominative plural leaca or leac(r)acha)

1. large, flat stone; slab (paving stone); flagstone
2. gravestone

   Tá leac lena cheann.

   He is dead and buried.

3. slab (flat piece of material), something slab-shaped

   leac seacláide ― a slab of chocolate

   Ghearr an long an coipeadh ina leaca.

   The ship cut the foam into slabs.

4. kitty (pool of money)

Declension

Declension of leac (second declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative leac leaca vocative a leac a leaca genitive leice leac dative leac leic (archaic, dialectal) leaca forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an leac na leaca genitive na leice na leac dative leis an leac leis an leic (archaic, dialectal) don leac don leic (archaic, dialectal) leis na leaca

Declension of leac (second declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative leac leaca vocative a leac a leaca genitive lice leac dative leac lic (archaic, dialectal) leaca forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an leac na leaca genitive na lice na leac dative leis an leac leis an lic (archaic, dialectal) don leac don lic (archaic, dialectal) leis na leaca

• Alternative plural forms: leacacha, leacracha

Derived terms

• bain as an leac (“pay (someone) off”)
• bonnleac (“callus (on sole of foot)”)
• bundún leice (“sea anemone”)
• cuir ar an leac (“make quite clear, to tell (someone) off”)
• faoi leac (“in one’s tomb, buried”)
• idir leac is losaid (“at the critical moment”)
• leac chloiche (“stone tablet”)
• leac chruaite (“drying stone”)
• leac chruaiteacháin (“drying stone”)
• leac chuimhneacháin (“memorial tablet”)
• leac dorais (“threshold stone, doorstep”)
• leac fuinneoige
• leac fuinte (“baking slab”)
• leac na bpian (“pit of hell”)
• leac oighir (“(sheet of) ice”)
• leac phábhála (“paving stone”)
• leac teallaigh (“hearthstone”)
• leac thuama (“headstone”)
• leac tine (“hearthstone”)
• leac tinteáin (“hearthstone”)
• leac uaighe (“gravestone”)
• leacach (“flagged; stony”)
• leacán (“small flat stone; tile”)
• leacra (“flat stones”)

Descendants

• → Yola: lhauch

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “leac”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla [Irish and English Dictionary], 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 423
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “leac”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old English

Alternative forms

• *lǣc, lāec, lēc — Anglian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lauk, from Proto-Germanic *laukaz.

Cognate with Old Saxon lōk (Low German Look), Dutch look, Old High German louh (German Lauch), Old Norse laukr (Danish løg, Swedish lök, Icelandic laukur).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /læ͜ɑːk/
• Rhymes: -æ͜ɑːk

Noun

lēac n

1. (generally) An allium; a plant of the genus Allium.
2. (specifically) A leek (Allium ampeloprasum) or garlic (Allium sativum).

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	lēac	lēac
accusative	lēac	lēac
genitive	lēaces	lēaca
dative	lēace	lēacum

Derived terms

• ċīpelēac
• croplēac
• gārlēac
• hollēac
• hwītlēac
• lēactūn

Related terms

• *hūslēac
• ynnelēac

Descendants

• Middle English: lek, leek, leeke, leke, leyke
  • English: leek
    • → Māori: riki
  • Scots: leke, leik

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic лѣкъ (lěkŭ), from Proto-Slavic *lěkъ, from Proto-Germanic *lēkijaz.

Noun

leac n (plural leacuri)

1. medicine, remedy, cure

   Synonyms: medicament, remediu

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	leac	leacul	leacuri	leacurile
genitive-dative	leac	leacului	leacuri	leacurilor
vocative	leacule		leacurilor

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish lecc, from Proto-Celtic *ɸlikkā, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥keh₂ (“flat surface”).

Celtic cognates include Welsh llech, Breton lec'h, Cornish lehan (“slate, slab”), and the Gaulish toponym Are-lica. Indo-European cognates include Ancient Greek πλάξ (pláx, “flat stone”). Ultimately connected with PIE *pleh₂- (“flat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʎɛxk/

Noun

leac f (dative singular lic, genitive singular lice, plural leacan)

1. slab (of stone)
2. ledge (of rock)
3. flagstone, paving stone
4. slate (for writing on)
5. gravestone
6. cheek

Synonyms

• (gravestone): clach-chinn

Derived terms

• leacach (“flat”) (adjective)
• leacag (“tile”) (noun)
• leac-eighre (“ice floe”)
• leac-sgrìobhadh (“lithography; offset; epitaph”)

References

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “lecc”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language