leech
Use Leech in a sentence
noun
1.
any bloodsucking or carnivorous aquatic or terrestrial worm of the class Hirudinea, certain freshwater species of which were formerly much used in medicine for bloodletting.
2.
a person who clings to another for personal gain, especially without giving anything in return, and usually with the implication or effect of exhausting the other's resources; parasite.
3.
Archaic. an instrument used for drawing blood.
verb (used with object)
4.
to apply leeches to, so as to bleed.
5.
to cling to and feed upon or drain, as a leech: His relatives leeched him until his entire fortune was exhausted.
6.
Archaic. to cure; heal.
00:10
Leech
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
verb (used without object)
7.
to hang on to a person in the manner of a leech: She leeched on to him for dear life.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English leche, Old English lǣce; replacing (by confusion with leech2) Middle English liche, Old English lȳce; cognate with Middle Dutch lieke; akin to Old English lūcan to pull out, Middle High German liechen to pull
before 900; Middle English leche, Old English lǣce; replacing (by confusion with leech2) Middle English liche, Old English lȳce; cognate with Middle Dutch lieke; akin to Old English lūcan to pull out, Middle High German liechen to pull
Related forms
leech·like, adjective
Synonyms
2. bloodsucker; extortioner; sponger.
2. bloodsucker; extortioner; sponger.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun Nautical.
1.
either of the lateral edges of a square sail.
2.
the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail.
Also, leach.
Origin:
1480–90; earlier lek, leche, lyche; akin to Dutch lijk leech, Old Norse līk nautical term of uncertain meaning
1480–90; 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 Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To leech
Collins
World English Dictionary
leech1 (liːtʃ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | horseleech See also medicinal leech 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 animals |
| 2. | a person who clings to or preys on another person |
| 3. | a. an archaic word for physician |
| b. (in combination): leechcraft | |
| 4. | cling like a leech to cling or adhere persistently to something |
| —vb | |
| 5. | (tr) to use leeches to suck the blood of (a person), as a method of medical treatment |
| [Old English lǣce, lœce; related to Middle Dutch lieke] | |
| 'leechlike1 | |
| —adj | |
| leech or leach2 (liːtʃ) | |
| —n | |
| nautical the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail or either of the vertical edges of a squaresail | |
| [C15: of Germanic origin; compare Dutch lijk] | |
| leach or leach2 | |
| —n | |
| [C15: of Germanic origin; compare Dutch lijk] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
leech
"bloodsucking aquatic worm," from O.E. læce (Kentish lyce), of unknown origin (with a cognate in M.Du. lake). Commonly regarded as a transf. use of leech (2), but the O.E. forms suggest a distinct word, which has been assimilated to leech (2) by folk etymology. Figuratively
applied to human parasites since 1784.
leech
obsolete for "physician," from O.E. læce, from O.Dan. læke, from P.Gmc. *lælijaz "healer, physician" (cf. O.N. læknir, O.H.G. lahhi, Goth. lekeis "physician"), lit. "one who counsels," perhaps connected with a root found in Celt. (cf. Ir. liaig "charmer, exorcist, physician")
and/or Slavic (cf. Serbo-Croatian lijekar), with an original sense of "speak, talk, whisper, conjurer." The form and sense merged with leech (1) in M.E. by folk etymology. In 17c., leech usually was applied only to veterinary practitioners. The third finger of the hand, in O.E., was læcfinger, translating L. digitus medicus, Gk. daktylus iatrikos, supposedly because a vein from that finger stretches straight to the heart.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
leech 1 (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. leeched, leech·ing, leech·es
To bleed with leeches.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary
leech
n. Among BBS types, crackers and warez d00dz, one who consumes knowledge without generating new software, cracks, or techniques. BBS culture specifically defines a leech as someone who downloads files with few or no uploads in return, and who does not contribute to the message section. Cracker culture extends this definition to someone (a lamer, usually) who constantly presses informed sources for information and/or assistance, but has nothing to contribute.
Jargon
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
leech definition
networkingSomeone who downloads files but provides nothing for others to download. The term is common on BitTorrent, which relies on having multiple sources for files to improve download speed.
(2007-03-27)
Example sentences
The same result has followed from keeping together different varieties of the medicinal leech.
Even if you think it is perfectly clean, you'll probably leech out enough oil to collapse your eggs.
Each mouth is a powerful sucker that attaches the leech to its prey.
It soon proved its efficacy, and redeemed the leech's pledge.
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