Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/230

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*likan; comp. OIc. leka, ‘to drip, leak’; E. to leak, AS. leccan, ‘to water.’ The Goth. stem is probably lik, by gradation lak (or rather hlak). OIr. legaim, ‘to melt away, dissolve,’ is closely related in sound and meaning. Comp. also the following word.

leck, adj., ‘leaky,’ ModHG. only, a LG. form for an earlier and strictly HG. lech, for, according to the words quoted under lechzen, the Goth. root is lik (hlik?), and this adj. corresponds to the OIc. adj. lekr, ‘leaky,’ whose k would be represented in HG. by ch. The borrowing of the ModHG. word from LG. is explained by the fact that a great number of nautical expressions in ModHG. are of LG. origin; the HG. form lech is also found in the dials. MidHG. lęcken, vb., ‘to moisten’ (lęcke, f., ‘moistening’), has ck for earlier kj, as is shown by AS. lęččean, ‘to moisten’ (from lakjan). Both vbs. prove that ‘to be watery’ is the prim. meaning of the Teut. stem lek (by gradation lak). ModHG. lecken, ‘to leak,’ is no more connected with MidHG. lęcken, ‘to moisten,’ than it is with ModHG. lecken, ‘to lick’; it is a derivative of the adj. leck, and hence has the variant lechen.

lecken (1.), vb., ‘to lick,’ from the equiv. MidHG. lëcken, OHG. lëcchôn (for Goth. *likkôn). It corresponds to Du. likken, AS. liccian, E. to lick. The vb. likkôn, ‘to lick,’ common to E. and G., is related to Goth. laigôn, apart from the gradation, as HG. Ziege (Goth. *tigô) is to Zicklein (Goth. *tikkein), or as Hut (Goth. *hôda-) is to AS. hœtt (Goth. *hattu-). Goth. *likkôn, ‘to lick,’ is also authenticated by the equiv. Rom. cognates borrowed from it, Ital. leccare, Fr. lécher. A Teut. root slikk seems to be preserved in ModHG. schlecken, OIc. sleikja, ‘to lick.’ Goth. *laigôn is based on an Aryan root lī̆gh, leigh, loigh; Gr. λείχω, ‘to lick,’ λιχνεύω, ‘to lick, taste by stealth,’ λίχνος, ‘glutton, dainty’; Sans. rih, lih, ‘to lick’; OSlov. ližą (liżati), and Lith. lëżiù (lêżti), ‘to lick’; Lat. lingo, ‘to lick,’ and allied to this perhaps Lat. lingua (Lith. lëżùvis), ‘tongue’; OIr. ligim, ‘to lick.’

lecken (2.), löcken, vb., ‘to kick, hop,’ from the equiv. MidHG. lęcken, wk. vb., in Goth. perhaps *lakjan, which may be connected with Gr. λάξ, adv. λάγιδην, ‘with the foot.’ Its kinship with Goth. laikan, ‘to spring, hop,’ is improbable.

Leder, n., ‘leather,’ from the equiv. MidHG. lëder, OHG. lëdar, n.; a common

Teut. word pointing to Goth. *liþra-, n.; comp. AS. lëþer, E. leather, Du. leder, OIc. leþr, n., ‘leather.’ The pre-Teut. form is létro-m, to which Ir. lethar, W. lledr, ‘leather,’ are traced.

ledig, adj., from the equiv. MidHG. lëdic, lëdec (g), ‘unoccupied, free, untrammelled’; the modern UpG. dials. point to MidHG. lędic. OHG. *lëdag, lędig, as well as Goth. *liþags are wanting; the following, however, are recorded: OIc. liþugr, ‘free, untrammelled,’ MidE. leþi, adj. ‘unoccupied, empty,’ MidDu. lëdech, MidLG. leddich, ledich, ‘at leisure, unemployed.’ The prim. word is MidE. lę̂the, ‘leisure, spare time’ (AS. leoþu?), to which is allied lêthen (leþin), ‘to set free’ (AS. ût-, a-leoþian?), as well as MidDu. onlêde, ‘want of leisure, grief.’ On account of the absence of the word in the OTeut. dials. it is difficult to determine the evolution in meaning. Must we connect it with Goth. unlêds, AS. unlœ̂de, ‘poor, unhappy,’ or with Lat. lîber (for lîthero?), ‘free’?

Lee, n., ‘lee,’ ModHG. only, from LG. lee, ‘place where a calm prevails’; comp. Ic. hlé, E. lee (from AS. hleó, ‘protection’).

leer, adj., from the equiv. MidHG. lœ̂re, OHG. and OSax. lâri, ‘empty, void’; comp. AS. lœre, gelœ̂re, MidE. ilêre, E. dial. leer, ‘empty, with an empty stomach, hungry.’ It can hardly be determined whether the r represents by rhotacism an earlier s. Perhaps Goth. lasiws, ‘powerless, weak,’ AS. lęswe, ‘weak’ (MidHG. erlęswen, ‘to grow weak’), as well as OIc. lasenn, ‘demolished,’ are the nearest cognates of leer.

Lefze, f., ‘lip,’ from the equiv. MidHG. lëfs, lëfse, f. and m., OHG. lëfs, m., an UpG. term (in Suab. lengthened to läfzg) for the properly LG. Lippe. Both terms are primit. allied; Lippe may come from Teut. *lipjô, f., and Lefze (with the OHG. variant lëffur, OSax. lëpur), from primit. Teut. lepas, gen. lepazis, or lefs, gen. lefsis (with fs for ps); comp. Goth. ahs, gen. ahsis, ‘ear (of corn ),’ with OHG. ahir, AS. eár (from *eahor), E. ear. For the further cognates comp. under Lippe. Goth. and Scand. have a totally different term for ‘lip’; Goth. waírilô (AS. wëler), OIc. vǫrr, f.

Legel, m., ‘keg, cruse,’ from MidHG. lœ̂gel, lâgel, lœ̂gele, f., ‘small cask,’ OHG. lâgila, lâgella, f., which is derived from MidLat. lagêna, ‘a measure for liquids and for dry goods’ (Lat. lagôna, lagoena, ‘flask,’