lek

[lek]Animal Behavior

noun

a traditional place where males assemble during the mating season and engage in competitive displays that attract females.

verb (used without object), lekked, lek·king.

(of a male) to assemble in a lek and engage in competitive displays.

Origin of lek

1865–70; < Swedish: mating ground (perhaps elliptically from lekställe), mating, game, play, Old Norse leikr play, cognate with Old English lāc struggle, offering, gift, Gothic laiks dance, Old High German leih melody

lek

[lek]

noun

an aluminum coin and monetary unit of Albania, equal to 100 qintars.

Origin of lek

Borrowed into English from Albanian around 1925–30

Lek

[lek]

noun

a river in the central Netherlands, flowing W to the Meuse River; the N branch of the lower Rhine. 40 miles (64 km) long.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lek

Contemporary Examples of lek

The Ritz hired Thai architect Lek Bunnag for the grounds and IA49 as the interior designer.
Gal with a Suitcase
Jolie Hunt
April 18, 2010

Historical Examples of lek

I am a traveller,” answered Lek, “and I must remain there until to-morrow.
ZigZag Journeys in Northern Lands;
Hezekiah Butterworth
She rose and walked towards the hill from which Lek had come.
ZigZag Journeys in Northern Lands;
Hezekiah Butterworth
The line of the Lek was abandoned and the province of Utrecht evacuated.
The Political History of England - Vol. X.
William Hunt
Lek spoke the Ollgrat language now, the language of imminent decision.
Ask a Foolish Question
Robert Sheckley
"No," Lek said, still speaking the language of imminent decision.
Ask a Foolish Question
Robert Sheckley

British Dictionary definitions for lek

lek

noun

a small area in which birds of certain species, notably the black grouse, gather for sexual display and courtship
the act or practice of so gathering

Word Origin for lek

C19: perhaps from dialect lake (vb) from Old English lácan to frolic, fight, or perhaps from Swedish leka to play

lek

noun

the standard monetary unit of Albania, divided into 100 qindarka

Word Origin for lek

from Albanian

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

Word Origin and History for lek

to engage in courtship displays of certain animals, 1871, probably from Swedish leka "to play," cognate of English dialectal verb lake (see lark (v.)).