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
Nearby words
- le vau,
- le vau, louis,
- lea,
- lea-rig,
- lea.,
- leachate,
- leaching,
- leachy,
- leacock,
- leacock, stephen butler
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for leaching
Leach
/ (liːtʃ) /
noun
Bernard (Howell). 1887–1979, British potter, born in Hong Kong
leach
1/ (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
Word Origin for leach
C17: variant of obsolete letch to wet, perhaps from Old English leccan to water; related to leak
leach
2/ (liːtʃ) /
noun
a variant spelling of leech 2
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
leach
Old English leccan "to moisten, water, wet, irrigate," (see leak). The word disappears, then re-emerges late 18c. in a technological sense in reference to percolating liquids. Related: Leached; leaching.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
leaching
[ lē′chĭng ]
n.
lixiviation
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
leaching
[ lē′chĭng ]
The removal of soluble material from a substance, such as soil or rock, through the percolation of water. Organic matter is typically removed from a soil horizon and soluble metals or salts from a rock by leaching. Leaching differs from eluviation in that it affects soluble, not suspended, material and often results in the complete removal of the material from the soil or rock.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.