leprechaun
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Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈlɛpɹəkɔːn/ (UK); /ˈlɛpɹəˌkɔn/, /ˈlɛpɹəˌkɑn/ (US)[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Irish leipreachán,[2][3][4] earlier lupracán,[4][5][6] from Middle Irish luchrupán,[6][3] a metathesis of Old Irish luchorpán,[6][4][5][3] traditionally explained as lú “small” and corp “body” (borrowed from Latin corpus) with a diminutive suffix.[6][4][5][3] Etymonline reports more recent research connecting the word instead with the Roman Luperci, through a medieval Irish misreading of St Augustine.[5]
Earliest recorded meaning
In Irish folklore, a pygmy sprite (1604).[7][2][4] Barnhart's earliest form is lubrican.[4]
Semantic evolution
The word is old in Irish but fairly new in English;[6] the spelling leprechaun appeared in 1860.[4] The figure became a conventional little old man who will reveal a hidden crock of gold to anyone who catches him.[3][6][2]
Timeline
Modern meaning
Noun
- In Irish folklore, a mischievous elf or sprite, usually a little old man, who will reveal hidden treasure to anyone who catches him.
Word family
- leprechaunish
Related words
- corpse
- corpus
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
- ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press