leak

leak
{{11}}leak (n.) late 15c., from LEAK (Cf. leak) (v.) or O.N. cognate leki. Sense of "revelation of secret information" is from 1950. Meaning "act of urination" is attested from 1934 ("Tropic of Cancer"); but the verb meaning "to piss" is from 1590s: "Why, you will allow vs ne're a Iourden, and then we leake in your Chimney." ["I Hen. IV," II.i.22]
{{12}}leak (v.) "to let water in or out" [Johnson], late 14c., from M.Du. leken "to drip, to leak," or from O.N. leka, both of them related to O.E. leccan "to moisten" (which did not survive into M.E.), all from P.Gmc. *lek- "deficiency" (Cf. O.H.G. lecchen "to become dry," Ger. lechzen "to be parched with thirst"), from PIE root *leg- "to dribble, trickle." The figurative meaning "come to be known in spite of efforts at concealment" dates from at least 1832; transitive sense first recorded 1859. Related: Leaked; leaking.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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Synonyms:
(letting a liquid in or out), , , , , , , / , , , (water or other liquid), ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Leak — (l[=e]k), n. [Akin to D. lek leaky, a leak, G. leck, Icel. lekr leaky, Dan. l[ae]k leaky, a leak, Sw. l[ a]ck; cf. AS. hlec full of cracks or leaky. Cf. {Leak}, v.] 1. A crack, crevice, fissure, or hole which admits water or other fluid, or lets… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • LEAK — is the brand name for high fidelity audio equipment made by H. J. Leak Co. Ltd, of London, England. The company was founded in 1934 by Harold Joseph Leak and was sold to the Rank Organisation in January 1969. During the 1950s and 60s, the company …   Wikipedia

  • leak — leak·age; leak·er; leak·i·ness; leak·less; leak·man; leak; …   English syllables

  • leak|y — «LEE kee», adjective, leak|i|er, leak|i|est. having a leak or leaks; full of leaks; leaking: »The ship was leaky and very much disabled (Daniel Defoe). – …   Useful english dictionary

  • Leak — Leak, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Leaked} (l[=e]kt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Leaking}.] [Akin to D. lekken, G. lecken, lechen, Icel. leka, Dan. l[ae]kke, Sw. l[ a]cka, AS. leccan to wet, moisten. See {Leak}, n.] 1. To let water or other fluid in or out through …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • leak — Ⅰ. leak UK US /liːk/ verb ► [I or T] if a liquid or gas leaks, or is allowed to leak, from a pipe or container, it escapes through an opening: »Textile chemicals leaking from a container started a fire in a cargo compartment. »The ship leaked an… …   Financial and business terms

  • leak — ► VERB 1) accidentally allow contents to escape or enter through a hole or crack. 2) (of liquid, gas, etc.) escape or enter accidentally through a hole or crack. 3) intentionally disclose (secret information). 4) (of secret information) become… …   English terms dictionary

  • leak — [lēk] vi. [ME leken < ON leka, to drip < IE base * leg , to drip, trickle, LACK, OIr legaim, (I) dissolve, Welsh llaith, damp] 1. to let a fluid substance out or in accidentally [the boats leaks] 2. to enter, or escape accidentally from, an …   English World dictionary

  • Leak — Leak, a. Leaky. [Obs.] Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • leak — verb. The transitive meaning ‘to disclose (secret information) intentionally’ is, apart from an isolated example of 1859, a 20c use, although the practice is doubtless a lot older. It is related to, if not a development of, the phrasal verb to… …   Modern English usage

  • leak — [n] opening; seepage through opening aperture, chink, crack, crevice, decrease, destruction, detriment, drip, drop, escape, expenditure, exposure, fissure, flow, hole, leakage, leaking, loss, outgoing, percolation, pit, puncture, short circuit,… …   New thesaurus

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