leach
1[ leech ]
/ litʃ /
verb (used with object)
to dissolve out soluble constituents from (ashes, soil, etc.) by percolation.
to cause (water or other liquid) to percolate through something.
verb (used without object)
(of ashes, soil, etc.) to undergo the action of percolating water.
to percolate, as water.
noun
QUIZZES
CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"
"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
Origin of leach
11425–75; late Middle English leche leachate, infusion, probably Old English *læc(e), *lec(e), akin to leccan to wet, moisten, causative of leak
OTHER WORDS FROM leach
leach·a·ble, adjectiveleach·a·bil·i·ty, nounleach·er, nounun·leached, adjectiveWords nearby leach
Definition for leach (2 of 3)
Definition for leach (3 of 3)
leech3
or leach
[ leech ]
/ litʃ /
noun Nautical.
either of the lateral edges of a square sail.
the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail.
Origin of leech
31480–90; earlier lek, leche, lyche; akin to Dutch lijk leech, Old Norse līk nautical term of uncertain meaning
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for leach
British Dictionary definitions for leach (1 of 5)
leach1
/ (liːtʃ) /
verb
to remove or be removed from a substance by a percolating liquid
to lose or cause to lose soluble substances by the action of a percolating liquid
another word for percolate (def. 1), percolate (def. 2)
noun
the act or process of leaching
a substance that is leached or the constituents removed by leaching
a porous vessel for leaching
Derived forms of leach
leacher, nounWord Origin for leach
C17: variant of obsolete letch to wet, perhaps from Old English leccan to water; related to leak
British Dictionary definitions for leach (2 of 5)
British Dictionary definitions for leach (3 of 5)
Leach
/ (liːtʃ) /
noun
Bernard (Howell). 1887–1979, British potter, born in Hong Kong
British Dictionary definitions for leach (4 of 5)
leech1
/ (liːtʃ) /
noun
any annelid worm of the class Hirudinea, which have a sucker at each end of the body and feed on the blood or tissues of other animalsSee also horseleech, medicinal leech
a person who clings to or preys on another person
- an archaic word for physician
- (in combination)leechcraft
cling like a leech to cling or adhere persistently to something
verb
(tr) to use leeches to suck the blood of (a person), as a method of medical treatment
Derived forms of leech
leechlike, adjectiveWord Origin for leech
Old English lǣce, lœce; related to Middle Dutch lieke
British Dictionary definitions for leach (5 of 5)
leech2
leach
/ (liːtʃ) /
noun
nautical the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail or either of the vertical edges of a squaresail
Word Origin for leech
C15: of Germanic origin; compare Dutch lijk
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
Medical definitions for leach
leech
[ lēch ]
n.
Any of various chiefly aquatic bloodsucking or carnivorous annelid worms of the class Hirudinea, one species of which (Hirudo medicinalis) was formerly used by physicians to bleed patients.
v.
To bleed with leeches.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.