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leper

 - 5 dictionary results

lep⋅er

  [lep-er]
Use leper in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person who has leprosy.
2. a person who has been rejected or ostracized for unacceptable behavior, opinions, character, or the like; anathema; outcast.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME lepre leprosy < L lepra < Gk lépra, n. use of fem. of leprós scaly, akin to lépos scale, lépein to peel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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lep·er   (lěp'ər)   
n.  

  1. A person affected by leprosy.

  2. A person who is avoided by others; a pariah.


[Middle English, from lepre, leprosy, from Old French, from Late Latin lepra, from Greek lepros, scaly, from lepis, scale.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

leper 
"one afflicted with leprosy," 1387, from L.L. lepra, from Gk. lepra "leprosy," from fem. of lepros (adj.) "scaly," from leops "a scale," related to lepein "to peel," from lopos "a peel," from PIE base *lep- "to peel, scale" (see leaf). Originally the word for the disease itself (c.1250); because of the -er ending it came to mean "person with leprosy," so leprosy was coined 16c. from adj. leprous.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: lep·er
Pronunciation: 'lep-&r
Function: noun
: an individual affected with leprosy
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

leper lep·er (lěp'ər)
n.
One who has leprosy.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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