Jump to content

leaky

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

Likely a normalisation ( +‎ -y) of earlier leak, leake, leke (leaky, adj), from Middle English leke (leaky), from Old English hlec, *lec (having cracks or rents; leaky), from Proto-Germanic *lekaz (leaking; leaky). By surface analysis, leak +‎ -y. Cognate with Scots lek, leck (leaky), Saterland Frisian läk (leaky), Dutch lek (leaky), German Low German leck (leaky), German leck (leaky), Swedish läck (leaky), Icelandic lekur (leaky).

Pronunciation

[edit]

Adjective

[edit]

leaky (comparative leakier, superlative leakiest)

  1. Having leaks; not fully sealed.
    The leaky bucket dripped only one drop at a time, but by the time I got back to the house it was half empty.
    The ceiling was so leaky that someone had to fix it.
    • 1983, Michael Stephenson, Roger Hearn, The Nuclear Case Book:
      Nuclear reactors in Russian submarines are said to be so leaky that crews are often paid "sterility money".

Derived terms

[edit]

Translations

[edit]

Anagrams

[edit]