leg

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See also: lég, lèg, -leg, leg-, leg., lęg, and łęg

English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English leg, legge, from Old Norse leggr (“leg, calf, bone of the arm or leg, hollow tube, stalk”), from Proto-Germanic *lagjaz, *lagwijaz (“leg, thigh”), from Proto-Indo-European *(ǝ)lak-, *lēk- (“leg; the main muscle of the arm or leg”). Cognate with Scots leg (“leg”), Icelandic leggur (“leg, limb”), Norwegian legg (“leg”), Swedish lägg (“leg, shank, shaft”), Danish læg (“leg”), Lombardic lagi (“thigh, shank, leg”), Latin lacertus (“limb, arm”), Persian لنگ‎ (leng). Upon borrowing, mostly displaced the native Old English term scanca (Modern English shank).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /lɛɡ/
  • (some US dialects) IPA(key): /leɪɡ/[1]
  • Audio (UK)
    		(file)
  • Audio (US)
    		(file)
  • Audio (AU)
    		(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛɡ

Noun[edit]

leg (plural legs)

  1. The lower limb of a human being or animal that extends from the groin to the ankle.
    Dan won't be able to come to the party, since he broke his leg last week and is now on crutches.
  2. (anatomy) The portion of the lower appendage of a human that extends from the knee to the ankle.
  3. A part of garment, such as a pair of trousers/pants, that covers a leg.
    The left leg of these jeans has a tear.
  4. A stage of a journey, race etc.
    After six days, we're finally in the last leg of our cross-country trip.
  5. (nautical) A distance that a sailing vessel does without changing the sails from one side to the other.
  6. (nautical) One side of a multiple-sided (often triangular) course in a sailing race.
  7. (sports) A single game or match played in a tournament or other sporting contest.
    • 2011 November 11, Rory Houston, “Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland”, in RTE Sport‎[1]:
      A stunning performance from the Republic of Ireland all but sealed progress to Euro 2012 as they crushed nine-man Estonia 4-0 in the first leg of the qualifying play-off tie in A Le Coq Arena in Tallinn.
  8. (geometry) One of the two sides of a right triangle that is not the hypotenuse.
  9. (geometry) One of the branches of a hyperbola or other curve which extend outward indefinitely.
  10. A rod-like protrusion from an inanimate object, supporting it from underneath.
    the legs of a chair or table
  11. (usually used in plural) evidence, the ability for a thing or idea to succeed or persist
  12. (Britain, slang, archaic) A disreputable sporting character; a blackleg.
  13. An extension of a steam boiler downward, in the form of a narrow space between vertical plates, sometimes nearly surrounding the furnace and ash pit, and serving to support the boiler; called also water leg.
  14. In a grain elevator, the case containing the lower part of the belt which carries the buckets.
  15. (cricket) A fielder whose position is on the outside, a little in rear of the batter.
  16. (telephony) A branch or lateral circuit connecting an instrument with the main line.
  17. (electrical) A branch circuit; one phase of a polyphase system.
  18. (US, slang, military) An army soldier assigned to a paratrooper unit who has not yet been qualified as a paratrooper.
Alternative forms[edit]
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from the noun "leg"
Translations[edit]
See also[edit]

Verb[edit]

leg (third-person singular simple present legs, present participle legging, simple past and past participle legged)

  1. To remove the legs from an animal carcass.
  2. To build legs onto a platform or stage for support.
  3. To put a series of three or more options strikes into the stock market.
  4. To apply force using the leg (as in 'to leg a horse').
Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ “leg” in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary.

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

leg (plural not attested)

  1. Abbreviation of legislature.
    One argument made a lot in the leg was that the bill would simplify voting.

Adjective[edit]

leg (not comparable)

  1. Abbreviation of legislative.
    The party wants to tackle social issues in the next leg term.

Anagrams[edit]

Aromanian[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin ligō. Compare Daco-Romanian lega, leg.

Verb[edit]

leg (second-person singular present indicative ledz, third-person singular present indicative leadzi / leadze, second-person plural present indicative ligats, past participle ligatã)

  1. I tie, bind.

Related terms[edit]

See also[edit]

Danish[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old Norse leikr.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

leg c (singular definite legen, plural indefinite lege)

  1. play, game
  2. (zoology) spawning (fish)
Inflection[edit]
Declension of leg
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative leg legen lege legene
genitive legs legens leges legenes

Etymology 2[edit]

Verb[edit]

leg

  1. imperative of lege

Dupaningan Agta[edit]

Noun[edit]

leg

  1. neck; throat

Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

leg

  1. first-person singular present indicative of leggen
  2. imperative of leggen

Anagrams[edit]

German[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

leg

  1. (colloquial) First-person singular present of legen.
  2. Imperative singular of legen.
  3. (colloquial) First-person singular subjunctive I of legen.
  4. (colloquial) Third-person singular subjunctive I of legen.

Icelandic[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

leg n (genitive singular legs, nominative plural leg)

  1. uterus

Declension[edit]

declension of leg
n-s singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative leg legið leg legin
accusative leg legið leg legin
dative legi leginu legum legunum
genitive legs legsins lega leganna

Derived terms[edit]

Middle English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Norse leggr, from Proto-Germanic *lagjaz.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

leg (plural legges)

  1. leg, limb
  2. shank, shin
  3. leg (cut of meat)
  4. leg armour
  5. The stem of a wine glass

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Verb[edit]

leg

  1. imperative of lege

Romanian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

leg

  1. first-person singular present indicative of lega.
  2. first-person singular present subjunctive of lega.

Swedish[edit]

Abbreviation[edit]

leg

  1. certified, authorized; indicating an authorized medical doctor, not a quack. Abbreviation of legitimerad.

Noun[edit]

leg n

  1. (slang) ID card showing the owner's age; Abbreviation of legitimation.
    jag fick visa leg på systemet
    at the state monopoly liquor store, they asked me to verify my age

Declension[edit]

Declension of leg 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative leg legget leg leggen
Genitive legs leggets legs leggens

See also[edit]

Torres Strait Creole[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English leg.

Noun[edit]

leg

  1. lower leg, foot

Synonyms[edit]

  • ngar (western dialect)

Westrobothnian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Norse leg.

Noun[edit]

leg n (definite leje, dative lejen)

  1. afterbirth from calving
Synonyms[edit]
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