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leech

Etymology and origin of the English word leech

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈliːt͡ʃ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English leche, inherited from Old English lǣce (“leech; physician”).[2][3][4][5][6] The Old English word meaning “physician” is a Germanic word, related to Old High German lāhhi, Old Norse læknir and Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃 (lēkeis, “physician”).[3][4][6] The name of the worm (Kentish lȳce) is of unknown origin, with a relative in Middle Dutch lieke;[3][4][6] according to the OED it is a distinct word that was assimilated to “physician” by folk etymology.[4][3] The sailing term is a separate word, probably related to Middle Low German līk “bolt-rope”.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

As “physician”, recorded about 900;[7][3] the bloodsucking worm is recorded before 900.[7][3]

Semantic evolution

Physicians used leeches to bleed patients, and the two words merged in form.[5][3][4] The sense “physician”, once applied even to God and Christ,[7][4] became archaic, poetic or jocular, leaving the worm as the main meaning.[3][7][5] From 1784 a person who clings to another for gain was called a leech.[7][3][4] The verb meaning “to apply leeches” dates from the early 19th century,[7][4] and “to drain, to live parasitically on” from the 20th.[7]

Timeline

  • before 900 – the bloodsucking worm.[7][3]
  • c. 900 – a physician.[7][3]
  • c. 1200 – verb, to cure or heal (obsolete).[7][4]
  • 1485 – the edge of a sail.[7]
  • 1784 – a person who clings to another for gain.[7][3][4]
  • 1828 – verb, to apply leeches.[7]
  • 1937 – verb, to attach oneself like a leech.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Any of various chiefly aquatic bloodsucking or carnivorous annelid worms of the class Hirudinea, one species of which was formerly used by physicians to bleed patients.
  2. A person who clings to another for gain; a parasite.
  3. (archaic) A physician.
  4. (nautical) Either vertical edge of a square sail, or the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail.

Verb

  1. To bleed with leeches.
  2. To drain the resources of; to exhaust.
  3. To attach oneself to someone in the manner of a leech.

Usage notes

Not to be confused with the verb leach.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

  • henchman · also from Old English
  • smock · also from Old English
  • heathen · also from Old English
  • giddy · also from Old English
  • gallows · also from Old English
  • forlorn · also from Old English
  • clue · also from Old English
  • gossip · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Leech.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/leech. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·