lek

lek

1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Leipon.

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Leipon terms

• IPA^(key): /lɛk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛk

• laike (Yorkshire)

From Germanic roots meaning "play". In the biology sense, it comes specifically from Swedish lek (“child's play”), by means of Swedish leka (“to play”). The verb is first attested in English in 1871 and the noun at least as early as 1867.

lek (plural leks)

2. (biology) An aggregation of male animals for the purposes of courtship and display.
   • 1975, Edward O. Wilson, Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, figure caption, 2000, page 333,

     Each of the three displaying cocks occupies a small territory at the mating center of the lek.

   • 1997, John Kricher, A Neotropical Companion, →ISBN, page 278:

     Given that a combination of factors have "released" males from attending nests, why have some species organized their courtship bouts in leks, especially the tightly clumped leks that are typical of manakins and cocks-of-the-rock?

   • 2007, Kentwood D. Wells, The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians, page 352:

     Nevertheless, it does appear that many of the processes of mate choice and sexual selection described for bird and mammal leks also apply to anuran choruses.

• lek paradox

lek (third-person singular simple present leks, present participle lekking, simple past and past participle lekked)

1. (biology, intransitive) To take part in the courtship and display behaviour of a lek.
   • 1994, M. B. Andersson, Sexual Selection, page 164:

     Males in many lekking species have conspicuous morphological ornaments that may be targets of female choice, but male contest competition may also be involved.

   • 2000, George Barlow, The Cichlid Fishes: Nature's Grand Experiment In Evolution, page 79:

     The second reason lekking is so fascinating is because the males aggregate.

   • 2010, Boaz Yuval, Jorge Hendrichs 17: Behavior of Fruit Fly in the Genus Ceratitis (Dacinae: Ceratitidini), Martin Aluja, Allen Norrbom (editors), Fruit Flies (Tephritidae): Phylogeny and Evolution of Behavior, page 437,

     In a recent study (Yuval et al. 1998), the size and weight of males captured either lekking or resting at the same time in the vicinity of leks were measured.

   • 2010, Robert Michael Pyle, Mariposa Road: The First Butterfly Big Year, unnumbered page:

     Half a dozen of the thumbnail-size males lekked in a sunny glade.

2. (UK, dialect, Yorkshire, colloquial) To play.

   T’lads is lekkin i t’park.

The Yorkshire dialect word is rarely written and is pronounced differently in the different Ridings of Yorkshire. Compare laik, layk.

From Albanian lek, named after Alexander the Great, whose name is often shortened to Leka in Albanian.

lek (plural leks or lek or leku or lekë)

2. The currency unit of Albania, divided into 100 qindarka.
   • 1992, Mario I. Bléjer, Albania: From Isolation Toward Reform, page 56:

     With the loss of control by the Government over foreign exchange surrender requirements and the almost complete depletion of foreign exchange reserves, in early 1992 the official rate was further devalued to leks 50 = $1.

   • 1997, Igor Artimiev, Gary J. Fine, Country Studies: Albania, Ira W. Lieberman, Stilpon S. Nestor, Raj M. Desai, Between State and Market: Mass Privatization in Transition Economies, page 178,

     Enterprise shares are sold at voucher auctions in exchange for either immaterial privatization leks (through a bank transfer from the bidder's privatization lek account) or through privatization vouchers, which are submitted at the time of bidding.

   • 2003, Iraj Hoshi, Ewa Balcerowicz, Leszek Balcerowicz, Barriers to Entry and Growth of New Firms in Early Transition, page 253:

     Value Added Tax is another tax imposed on all enterprises with a yearly turnover of more than 2 million Leks. VAT was introduced in the Albanian tax system in 1995 replacing the old turnover tax.

• elk, Elk, ELK, Kel

From Lekë,^[1] after Leka i Madh (“Alexander the Great”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈlek/
• Rhymes: -ek

lek m (plural lekë)

1. lek (the currency unit of Albania)
2. money, cash

   Synonyms: para, të holla

• → English: lek

• leku on the Albanian Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^sq

Deverbal from lekat.

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɛk]

lek m inan

1. synonym of leknutí

• “lek”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “lek”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “lek”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛk

From Middle Dutch lek, from Old Dutch *lek, from Proto-West Germanic *lek, from Proto-Germanic *lekaz; compare Old English hlec, Icelandic lekur.

lek (comparative lekker, superlative lekst)

1. leaky

Declension of lek
uninflected	lek
inflected	lekke
comparative	lekker
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		lek	lekker	het lekst het lekste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	lekke	lekkere	lekste
	n. sing.	lek	lekker	lekste
	plural	lekke	lekkere	lekste
definite		lekke	lekkere	lekste
partitive		leks	lekkers	—

From Middle Dutch lek, either a substantivization of the adjective at Etymology 1 above, or a deverbal from lecken, lēken.

lek n (plural lekken, diminutive lekje n)

1. leak

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

lek

1. inflection of lekken:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

• elk

lek m (plural leks)

1. lek (currency)

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɛk]
• Hyphenation: lek
• Rhymes: -ɛk

lek (plural lekek)

1. lek (the currency unit of Albania)

• kel

lek

1. toad

• Dieterman, Julia; McCarty, James Michael, Jr.; Castañón López, Victoriano; Castañón Eugenio, María Dolores (2018), Breve diccionario del mixe del Istmo: Mogoñé Viejo, Oaxaca (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 52)‎^[1] (in Spanish), Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 37

Borrowed from English lect.

• (English-based) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛk/ [ˈlɛk̚]
  • Rhymes: -ɛk

• (Baku) IPA^(key): /ˈlek/ [ˈlek̚]
  • Rhymes: -ek
• Hyphenation: lek

lek (Jawi spelling ليک, plural lek-lek)

1. (sociolinguistics) A lect.

• -lek

Clipping of rilek.

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛk/ [ˈlɛʔ]
• Rhymes: -ɛk
• Hyphenation: lek

lek (Jawi spelling ليک)

1. Apheretic form of rilek.

• “lek”, in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu [Malay Literary Reference Centre] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017

• leek, leeke, leke, leyke

Inherited from Old English lēac, lēc, from Proto-West Germanic *lauk, from Proto-Germanic *laukaz.

• IPA^(key): /leːk/, /lɛːk/

lek (plural lekes)

1. A plant in the genus Allium (often used as vegetables):
   1. Garlic (Allium sativum)
   2. Leek (Allium ampeloprasum)
2. (in expressions) Something of little value.

• garlek
• houslek

• English: leek
  • → Maori: riki
• Scots: leke, leik

• “lẹ̄k, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 26 July 2018.

From Old Norse leikr.

• leik (Nynorsk also)

lek m (definite singular leken, indefinite plural leker, definite plural lekene)

1. play, playing
2. a game, contest

   de olympiske leker ― the Olympic Games

• leke

From Albanian lek.

lek m (indeclinable)

1. the lek, currency of Albania.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

lek

1. imperative of leke

• “lek” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

• kle

From Old Norse leikr, through Middle Low German from Ancient Greek λαϊκός (laïkós, “popular”).

lek (neuter lekt, definite singular and plural leke, comparative lekare, indefinite superlative lekast, definite superlative lekaste)

1. lay

From Old Norse lekr.

• lekk (adjective and noun)

lek (neuter lekt, definite singular and plural leke, comparative lekare, indefinite superlative lekast, definite superlative lekaste)

1. leaky

lek m (definite singular leken, indefinite plural lekar, definite plural lekane)

1. a leak

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

lek

1. inflection of leka:
   1. present
   2. imperative

• “lek” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• elk, kle

Unknown, probably from Proto-Mon-Khmer *leh (“to go down, go out”).

• IPA^(key): /lɛk/

lek

1. moon; month

   Synonyms: candra, śaśi, soma, wulan, windu

• Javanese: lék
• → Balinese: lék (“moon; month”)

lek

1. inflection of lekr:
   1. positive degree strong feminine nominative singular
   2. positive degree strong neuter nominative/accusative plural

lek

1. inflection of leka:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛk/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛk
• Syllabification: lek
• Homophones: Lek, leg

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lěkъ.

• lik (Kielce)

lek m inan (related adjective lekowy)

1. (medicine) medicine, drug (substance which promotes healing)

   Synonyms: lekarstwo, medykament, specyfik

Borrowed from Albanian lek.

lek m animal

1. lek (currency of Albania)

• lek in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• lek in Polish dictionaries at PWN

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -ɛki, (Portugal) -ɛkɨ
• Homophone: leque
• Hyphenation: lek

Unadapted borrowing from Albanian lek.

• leque

lek m (plural lekes)

1. (numismatics) lek (currency unit of Albania)

Unadapted borrowing from English lek.

lek m (plural leks)

1. (ethology) lek (aggregation of male animals)
   • 2024, Sabrina Michaelly Alves dos Santos Oliveira, chapter I, in Comportamento de lek do tangará-príncipe (Chiroxiphia pareola Linnaeus, 1766) [Lek behavior of the blue-backed manakin], Areia, Paraíba: UFPB/CCA, INTRODUÇÃO (section 1.5), page 15:

     A evolução dos leks está centrada em estratégias que maximizam o sucesso reprodutivo das fêmeas facilitando o acesso e a comparação entre machos […]

     Lek evolution is centered in strategies that maximize female reproductive success, facilitating their access to and comparation between males.

lek m (plural leks)

1. (Brazil, slang) clipping of moleque

• “lek”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “lek”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

From English leg.

lek

1. leg, foot (of a human)
2. limb (of an animal)

• Mosel, Ulrike (1980), Tolai and Tok Pisin: the influence of the substratum on the development of New Guinea Pidgin (Pacific Linguistics; Series B, no. 73)‎^[2], Canberra: Australian National University, →ISBN

• lijȇk (Ijekavian)

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lěkъ, borrowed from Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃 (lēkeis, “physician”).^[1] Compare Old Norse læknir, Old High German lahhi, Danish læge.

lȇk m inan (Cyrillic spelling ле̑к) (Ekavian)

1. medicine

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lěkъ, from Proto-Indo-European *loykʷós.

lȇk m inan (Cyrillic spelling ле̑к)

1. little quantity

   Nema mesta ni za lek(a). ― There is absolutely no place.

• IPA^(key): /léːk/

lẹ̑k m inan

1. medicine

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Masculine inan., hard o-stem
nominative	lék
genitive	léka
	singular
nominative (imenovȃlnik)	lék
genitive (rodȋlnik)	léka
dative (dajȃlnik)	léku
accusative (tožȋlnik)	lék
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	léku
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	lékom

• IPA^(key): /leːk/

• Audio (Gotland); “en lek” [ɛn̪ l̪eə̯cʰ]:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eːk

From Old Norse leikr.

lek c

1. (uncountable) (child's) play; typically denotes pleasurable and less rule-bound games and activities – "play" more in the sense of "engage in play" than "play a game"

   De iakttog barnens lek

   They watched the children's play(ing)

2. (countable) a particular game or activity (associated with child's play)

   Ska vi leka en lek? Vi kan låtsas vara björnar.

   Want to play a game? (Or, "Want to engage in a type of play?") We can pretend to be bears.

3. a game, playing (more generally, sometimes with relaxed or nonchalant connotations)

   en lek med döden

   playing with death ("a play(ing) with death")

   vindens lek med löven

   the wind playing with the leaves ("the wind's play(ing) with the leaves")

4. a deck of cards

   Synonym: kortlek

   Hur många kort är det i leken?

   How many cards are in the deck?

5. (biology) lek

Not restricted to children by definition, but has childish connotations. See also leka.

lek

1. imperative of leka

• lek in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• lek in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• lek in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

From English leg.

lek

1. leg, foot
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:15:

     Na bai mi mekim yu i stap birua bilong meri, na meri i stap birua bilong yu. Na bai mi mekim ol lain bilong yu i birua long lain bilong meri. Bai ol i krungutim het bilong yu, na bai yu kaikaim lek bilong ol.”

     →New International Version translation

2. footprint
3. hindleg (of an animal)

• Mosel, Ulrike (1980), Tolai and Tok Pisin: the influence of the substratum on the development of New Guinea Pidgin (Pacific Linguistics; Series B, no. 73)‎^[3], Canberra: Australian National University, →ISBN

• (Zinacantán) IPA^(key): /lɛkʰ/

lek

1. good

   Antonym: chopol

(Verbal phrases)

• leklek ba

• Laughlin, Robert M. (1975) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of San Lorenzo Zinacantán. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.

• lik

From Proto-Tai *ʰlekᴰ (“iron”), from Old Chinese 鐵 (OC *l̥ʰiːɡ, “iron”). Cognate with Thai เหล็ก (lèk), Lao ເຫຼັກ (lek), Shan လဵၵ်း (láek), Lü ᦵᦜᧅ (l̇ek), Tai Nüa ᥘᥥᥐᥱ (lěk), Ahom 𑜎𑜢𑜀𑜫 (lik), Nong Zhuang liak. Doublet of diet.

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /leːk˧˥/
• Tone numbers: lek⁷
• Hyphenation: lek

lek (1957–1982 spelling lek)

1. (dialectal) iron (metal)

   Synonym: diet