Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
leek - 4 dictionary results

leek

  [leek]
Use leek in a Sentence
–noun
1. a plant, Allium ampeloprasum, of the amaryllis family, allied to the onion, having a cylindrical bulb and leaves used in cookery.
2. any of various allied species.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE lēac; c. G Lauch, ON laukr
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To leek
leek   (lēk)   
n.  An edible plant (Allium porrum) related to the onion and having a white, slender bulb and flat, dark-green leaves.

[Middle English lek, from Old English lēac.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

leek 
O.E. læc (Mercian), leac (W.Saxon) "leek, onion, garlic," from P.Gmc. *lauka- (cf. O.N. laukr "leek, garlic," Dan. løg, Swed. lök "onion," Du. look "leek, garlic," O.H.G. louh, Ger. lauch "leek"). No known cognates; Finnish laukka, O.C.S. luku are borrowed from Gmc.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : leek
Spanish: puerro,
German: der Lauch,
Japanese: にら
More Translations »

Leek

(Heb. hatsir; the Allium porrum), rendered "grass" in 1 Kings 18:5, 2 Kings 19:26, Job 40:15, etc.; "herb" in Job 8:12; "hay" in Prov. 27:25, and Isa. 15:6; "leeks" only in Num. 11:5. This Hebrew word seems to denote in this last passage simply herbs, such as lettuce or savoury herbs cooked as kitchen vegetables, and not necessarily what are now called leeks. The leek was a favourite vegetable in Egypt, and is still largely cultivated there and in Palestine.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Search another word or see leek on Thesaurus | Reference