letch

American  

[lech] / lɛtʃ /

Or lech

noun

1. a lecherous desire or craving.

2. a lecher.

3. any strong desire or liking.

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verb (used without object)

1. to behave like a lecher (often followed by for orafter ).

letch British  

/ lɛtʃ /

verb

1. a variant spelling of lech

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Etymology

Origin of letch

First recorded in 1790–1800; probably back formation from lecher

Example Sentences

The novel makes a farcical cross-dressing comedy of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, paints Frederick Douglass as a drunken letch, and generally takes an irreverent view of the entire pre–Civil War era.

From Slate • Jan. 10, 2014

He has a letch for operatic sopranos and a strange hatred of birds, and he is comically unsteady on his snow white charger�especially when he tries to make it rear in the grand manner.

From Time Magazine Archive

His character, who is both rising-star politician and star-crossed lover, as yet shows no consuming letch for power.

From Time Magazine Archive