leek

[ leek ]

noun

a cultivated plant, Allium ampeloprasum, of the amaryllis family, related to the onion, with a long cylindrical bundle of straplike leaves that are used in cooking, especially the paler portion near the base.
any of various onion-related plants, especially the wild leek, Allium ampeloprasum, from which the culinary leek was cultivated.

Origin of leek

First recorded before 1000; from Middle English lek, leck, leike; Old English lēac, lēc, lēc; cognate with German Lauch, Dutch look, Old Norse laukr

Words that may be confused with leek

leak, leek

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use leek in a sentence

It has French ingredients like leeks and tarragon, and I use puff pastry to make the crust easy!
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies | Ina Garten | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Walking through rows of Swiss chard, heirloom tomatoes, leeks, and artichokes, he can tell you exactly when each is at its peak.
A California Tavern With an Artichoke Obsession | Jane & Michael Stern | June 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In Tennessee and West Virginia, festivals are held to celebrate allium tricoccum, which are also known as wild leeks.
What to Eat: Spring Feast | Cookstr.com | March 9, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
The French love leeks and give them the respect they are due.
What to Eat | Cookstr.com | July 7, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
For this dish, choose the smallest, freshest leeks you can find.
What to Eat | Cookstr.com | July 7, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST

Leeks must not be eaten, as such a food, by its own nature, is injurious to the teeth.
Old-Time Makers of Medicine | James J. Walsh
Leeks are most generally used for soups, ragouts, and other made dishes.
A Poetical Cook-Book | Maria J. Moss
We can scarcely understand the very high value that was placed on Leeks in olden times.
The plant-lore and garden-craft of Shakespeare | Henry Nicholson Ellacombe
Some tribes even worshipped boiled rice; after the same manner the Egyptians paid homage to leeks.
The Mysteries of All Nations | James Grant
The juice of leeks, being drunk with warm water, highly operates to cause speedy delivery.
The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher | Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for leek

leek

/ (liːk) /

noun

Also called: scallion an alliaceous plant, Allium porrum, with a slender white bulb, cylindrical stem, and broad flat overlapping leaves: used in cooking
any of several related species, such as A. ampeloprasum (wild leek)

a leek, or a representation of one, as a national emblem of Wales

Origin of leek

Old English lēac; related to Old Norse laukr, Old High German louh

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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