lelek

See also: lélek, Lelek, lələk, and лелек

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lelьkъ. The Slavic base is certainly onomatopoeic, but it is not certain if this is in relation to growling, as in Serbo-Croatian lelekati, or in the swaying flight, as in *lelějati.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɛlɛk]

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Noun

lelek m anim

1. nightjar

Declension

Declension of lelek (velar masculine animate reducible)

	singular	plural
nominative	lelek	lelci, lelkové
genitive	lelka	lelků
dative	lelkovi, lelku	lelkům
accusative	lelka	lelky
vocative	lelku	lelci, lelkové
locative	lelkovi, lelku	lelcích
instrumental	lelkem	lelky

Further reading

• “lelek”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “lelek”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “lelek”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Hungarian

Etymology

lel (“to find”) +‎ -ek (personal suffix)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɛlɛk]
• Hyphenation: le‧lek

Verb

lelek

1. first-person singular indicative present indefinite of lel

Polish

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛ.lɛk/

• (Greater Poland):
  • (Chełmno-Dobrzyń) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛ.lɛk/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛlɛk
• Syllabification: le‧lek

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Polish lelek, from Proto-Slavic *lelьkъ. The Slavic base is certainly onomatopoeic, but it is not certain if this is in relation to growling, as in Serbo-Croatian lelekati, or in the swaying flight, as in *lelějati.

Noun

lelek m animal

1. nightjar; any bird from the subfamily Caprimulginae
2. Eurasian nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)

Declension

Declension of lelek

	singular	plural
nominative	lelek	lelki
genitive	lelka	lelków
dative	lelkowi	lelkom
accusative	lelka	lelki
instrumental	lelkiem	lelkami
locative	lelku	lelkach
vocative	lelku	lelki

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic imitating children's speech + -ek.

Noun

lelek m pers

1. (Chełmno-Dobrzyń) pampered person

   Alternative form: lalek

Derived terms

verbs

• lelkać impf

Further reading

• lelek in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• lelek in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Antoni Krasnowolski (1879), “lelek”, in Album uczącéj się młodzieży polskiéj poświęcone Józefowi Ignacemu Kraszewskiemu z powodu jubileuszu jego pięćdziesięcioletniéj działalności literackiéj (in Polish), Lviv: Czytelni Akademickiéj Lwowskiéj; "Gaz. Narod." J. Dobrzańskiego i K. Gromana, Słowniczek prowincjalizmów zebranych w ziemi chełmińskiej i świeckiej, page 305

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Of imitative origin, possibly descending from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂- (“to howl, bark, lament”). See also German lullen, Ancient Greek λάλος (lálos), Albanian lule.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lêleːk/
• Hyphenation: le‧lek

Noun

lȅlēk m inan (Cyrillic spelling ле̏ле̄к)

1. wailing, weeping

Declension

Declension of lelek

	singular
nominative	lelek
genitive	leleka
dative	leleku
accusative	lelek
vocative	leleče
locative	leleku
instrumental	lelekom

Further reading

• “lelek”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

Slovak

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lelьkъ. The Slavic base is certainly onomatopoeic, but it is not certain if this is in relation to growling, as in lelekati, or in the swaying flight, as in *lelějati.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈʎeʎek]

Noun

lelek m animal (relational adjective lelčí)

1. nightjar; any bird from the subfamily Caprimulginae

Declension

Declension of lelek
(patterns chlap (singular) and dub (plural))

	singular	plural
nominative	lelek	lelky
genitive	lelka	lelkov
dative	lelkovi	lelkom
accusative	lelka	lelky
locative	lelkovi	lelkoch
instrumental	lelkom	lelkami

Further reading

• “lelek”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025