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leery

 [leer-ee]   Origin

leer·y

1   [leer-ee]
adjective, leer·i·er, leer·i·est.
1.
wary; suspicious (usually followed by of): I'm leery of his financial advice.
2.
Archaic. knowing; alert.
Origin:
1790–1800; leer1 + -y1

Related forms
leer·i·ly, adverb
leer·i·ness, noun

Can be confused: wary, weary, leery.

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Leery is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

leer·y

2   [leer-ee]
adjective, leer·i·er, leer·i·est.
leer2.
Origin:
leer2 + -y1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To leery
Collins
World English Dictionary
leery or leary (ˈlɪərɪ)
 
—adj , leerier, leeriest, learier, leariest
1.  dialect chiefly knowing or sly
2.  slang (foll by of) suspicious or wary
3.  slang rowdy or boisterous
 
[C18: perhaps from obsolete sense (to look askance) of leer]
 
leary or leary
 
—adj
 
[C18: perhaps from obsolete sense (to look askance) of leer]
 
'leeriness or leary
 
—n
 
'leariness or leary
 
—n

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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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

leery
"untrusting, suspicious," 1718, originally slang, probably from dialectal lere "learning, knowledge" (see lore), or from leer (v.) in some now-obscure sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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