leaden

English

Etymology

From Middle English leden, leaden, from Old English lēaden (“leaden, of lead”). Cognate with West Frisian leaden (“leaden”), Dutch loden (“leaden”). By surface analysis, lead +‎ -en.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛdən/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛdən

Adjective

leaden (comparative more leaden, superlative most leaden)

1. Of or related to the metal lead, particularly

   Synonyms: lead, plumbic, plumbous, (uncommon) leady, (archaic) saturnine

   1. (archaic) Made of lead.
   2. (figurative) Resembling the color of lead, metallic or dark gray; (of daylight) dim, overcast.

      The sky was dark and overcast, a leaden pall producing a deep gloom.

      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dim

      • 1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust, page 31 (2001 Perennial paperback edition):

        "It was at the end of February..., when the world was cold..., when icy rains fell from the leaden skies in continual drizzling showers."

   3. (figurative) Resembling the density of lead, heavy.
      • 1819, John Keats, “Ode to a Nightingale”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], published 1820, →OCLC, stanza 3, page 109:

        Where but to think is to be full of sorrow
        And leaden-eyed despairs,
        Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,
        Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow.

      • 1818-1819, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Julian and Maddalo

        [...] if man be
        The passive thing you say, I should not see
        Much harm in the religions and old saws
        (Tho' I may never own such leaden laws)
        Which break a teachless nature to the yoke.

   4. (figurative) Resembling the ponderousness of lead, sluggish.

Derived terms

• fly with leaden wings
• leaden flycatcher
• leaden-hearted
• leadenly
• leadenness
• with leaden wings

Translations

made of lead

• Arabic: رَصَاصِيّ (raṣāṣiyy)
• Belarusian: свінцо́вы (svincóvy), валавя́ны (valavjány), алавя́ны (alavjány)
• Bulgarian: оло́вен (olóven)
• Czech: olověný (cs)
• Dutch: loden (nl)
• Finnish: lyijyinen (fi)
• German: bleiern (de)
• Italian: plumbeo (it) m
• Latin: plumbeus
• Macedonian: оловен (oloven)
• Polish: ołowiany (pl)
• Portuguese: plúmbeo (pt)
• Russian: свинцо́вый (ru) (svincóvyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: luaidheach
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: о̏ло̄ван

  Latin: ȍlōvan (sh)

• Slovak: olovený (sk)
• Slovene: svinčen
• Spanish: plúmbeo (es), plomizo (es)
• Turkish: kurşun (tr)
• Ukrainian: свинце́вий (svyncévyj), оли́в'яний (olývʺjanyj)
• Yiddish: בלײַען (blayen)

pertaining to or resembling lead

• Bulgarian: оловносив (olovnosiv), оловно сив (olovno siv)
• Czech: olověný (cs)
• Finnish: lyijyinen (fi)
• Latin: plumbeus, plumbārius
• Portuguese: plúmbeo (pt), plúmbico
• Scottish Gaelic: luaidheach
• Spanish: plúmbeo (es), plomizo (es)

dull

• Finnish: lyijynharmaa
• Hungarian: ólomszürke (hu)
• Italian: plumbeo (it)
• Portuguese: plúmbeo (pt)
• Spanish: cubierto (es), nublado (es)

Verb

leaden (third-person singular simple present leadens, present participle leadening, simple past and past participle leadened)

1. (ambitransitive) To make or become dull or overcast.

Anagrams

• Delena, andele, aneled, leaned, nealed

Middle English

Etymology 1

Verb

leaden

1. (Early Middle English) alternative form of leden (“to lead”)

Etymology 2

Adjective

leaden

1. (Late Middle English) alternative form of leden (“leaden”)

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlæ͜ɑː.den/

Adjective

lēaden

1. alternative form of līeden

Declension

Declension of lēaden — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	lēaden	lēadenu, lēadnu, lēadeno, lēadno	lēaden
Accusative	lēadenne	lēadene, lēadne	lēaden
Genitive	lēadenes, lēadnes	lēadenre	lēadenes, lēadnes
Dative	lēadenum, lēadnum	lēadenre	lēadenum, lēadnum
Instrumental	lēadene, lēadne	lēadenre	lēadene, lēadne
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	lēadene, lēadne	lēadena, lēadna, lēadene, lēadne	lēadenu, lēadnu, lēadeno, lēadno
Accusative	lēadene, lēadne	lēadena, lēadna, lēadene, lēadne	lēadenu, lēadnu, lēadeno, lēadno
Genitive	lēadenra	lēadenra	lēadenra
Dative	lēadenum, lēadnum	lēadenum, lēadnum	lēadenum, lēadnum
Instrumental	lēadenum, lēadnum	lēadenum, lēadnum	lēadenum, lēadnum

Declension of lēaden — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	lēadena, lēadna	lēadene, lēadne	lēadene, lēadne
Accusative	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadene, lēadne
Genitive	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadenan, lēadnan
Dative	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadenan, lēadnan
Instrumental	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadenan, lēadnan
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadenan, lēadnan
Accusative	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadenan, lēadnan	lēadenan, lēadnan
Genitive	lēadenra, lēadenena, lēadnena	lēadenra, lēadenena, lēadnena	lēadenra, lēadenena, lēadnena
Dative	lēadenum, lēadnum	lēadenum, lēadnum	lēadenum, lēadnum
Instrumental	lēadenum, lēadnum	lēadenum, lēadnum	lēadenum, lēadnum