Forms: 1 léac, 3 lec, 3–5 lek, 4 lik, 4–6 leke, Sc. leik(e, (5 pl. lecus), 5–7 leeke, 6 like, 7 lieke, leake, 8 leak, 4– leek. [OE. léac str. neut. = MDu. looc (Du. look) neut., OHG. louh (MHG. louch, mod.G. lauch) masc., ON. lauk-r (Sw. lök, Da. løg):—OTeut. *lauko-, whence Finnish laukka, OSl. lukŭ; no affinities outside Teut. are known.]
1. A culinary herb, Allium Porrum (N.O. Liliaceæ), allied to the onion, but differing from it in having the bulbous part cylindrical and the leaves flat and broad.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 234. Gebeat þæt leac & þa rudan ʓegnid togædere.
c. 1265. Voc. Plants, in Wr.-Wülcker, 555/7. Porius, poret, lek.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xl. (Ninian), 404. In þe ȝard [he] sone has sene caile & leikis faire & grene.
c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 291. Wiþ þe iuys of a strong oynoun, or wiþ ius of lekis.
c. 1420. Liber Cocorum (1862), 47. Grynd þy lecus in morter fre.
14[?]. Nom., in Wr.-Wülcker, 710/23. Hic bilbus, a lekes hed.
1528. Paynel, Salerne’s Regim. (1535), 31 a. Garlike, oynions, and also likes are nat holsome for temperate bodyes.
1597. Gerarde, Herbal, I. lxxxvi. 138. The Leeke is hot and dry, and doth attenuate.
1656. Cowley, Pindar. Odes, Plagues Egypt, i. But we, alas, the Flesh-pots love, We love the very Leeks and sordid roots below.
1722. Lond. Gaz., No. 6043/2. All the Company wore Leeks in Honour to the Princess [of Wales].
1807. Crabbe, Par. Reg., I. Wks. 1834, II. 148. The leek with crown globose and reedy stem.
1845. Darwin, Voy. Nat., xviii. (1852), 428. A leek has over-run whole districts [in New Zealand]…; it was imported as a favour by a French vessel.
2. Applied with qualifications to: a. Other species of Allium, as Stone Leek, the Welsh onion, A. fistulosum (Treas. Bot., 1866), formerly called HOLLEKE, q.v.; Vine Leek († leek of the vine), A. Ampeloprasum (Treas. Bot.); Wild Leek, A. ursinum; French Leek (see FRENCH a. 5). b. Bulbous plants of other genera, as † Corn-leek (see quot. 1551); dog(’s) leek, (see DOG sb. 18 a). Also CROW-LEEK, HOUSE-LEEK.
1551. Turner, Herbal, I. G v b. Bulbine … may be called in English Corne leeke or wyldeleeke.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb. (1586), 60. The headed or sette Leeke … in Latine Capitatum.
1611. Cotgr., Oignon sauvage … the wild field Onyon, Bulbine,… Corne Leeke. Ibid., Porreau de chien, Dogs Leeke, wild Leeke, French Leek, Leeke of the Vine. Porreau sectil, ou tondu, the cut Leeke, maidens Leeke, blade Leeke, vnset Leeke. Porreau testu, the headed or knobbed Leeke, set Leeke, vncut Leeke.
1853. G. Johnston, Nat. Hist. E. Bord., 198. Allium ursinum. Ramps: Wild Leeks. Moist woods and deans, abundant and gregarious.
1874. C. Geikie, Life in Woods, xiii. 205. The wild leeks in the bushes.
† 3. Taken as a type of something of little value. Also a leek’s blade, a leek’s clove (CLOVE sb.1 1).
13[?]. Guy Warw. (A.), 3644. Bodi & soule no nouȝt þer-of No is nouȝt worþ a lekes clof.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Merch. T., 106. Every man that holt him worth a leek. Ibid., Can. Yeom. Prol. & T., 242.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 4228. Ȝour lare of a leke suld neuire þe les worth.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., i. 129. Now, therof a leke what rekes vs?
a. 1483. Pol. Poems (Rolls), II. 278. Thay were not of thayre entent the nere of a leke.
14[?]. Childe of Bristowe, 8, in Hazl., E. P. P., I. 111. The beste song that ever was made ys not worth a lekys blade, but men wol tende ther-tille.
a. 1529. Skelton, Col. Cloute, 183. They make her wynche and keke, But it is not worth a leke.
1591. Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. iii. 515. And breaking Laws for Bribes, profane your Place, To leave a Leek to your unthankfull Race.
c. 1600. Montgomerie, Cherrie & Slae, 1374. I knaw na liquor worth a leik To quench his deidlie drouth.
a. 1800[?]. Willie’s drowned in Gamery, iii. in Child, Ballads (1890), IV. 181/1. I dinna value their love a leek.
4. Proverbial and allusive phrases, referring to the color of the leek, to its being the national emblem of the Welsh, etc. As clean as a leek (Sc.): perfectly, completely, entirely.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. V. 65. As a leek that hedde i-leiȝen longe in the sonne, So loked he, with lene chekes lourede he foule.
a. 1366[?]. Chaucer, Rom. Rose, 212. Ful sad and caytif was she eek, And al-so grene as any leek. Ibid. (c. 1386), Reeve’s Prol., 25. To have an hoor heed and a grene tayl, As hath a leek.
1401. Pol. Poems (Rolls), II. 43. A lewid frere that men callen frere Daw Topias, as lewid as a leke.
c. 1430. Syr Gener. (Roxb.), 7684. To his face she leid hir cheke She felt it cold as yse or leke.
1546, 1589. [see LARK sb.1 1 c].
1575. Gascoigne, Dan Bartholmew, Poems 1869, I. 137. His flecked cheekes, Nowe cherrye redde, nowe pale and greene as leekes.
1604. Dekker, Honest Wh., Wks. 1873, II. 103. Tho my head be like a Leeke, white: may not my heart be like the blade, greene?
1714. Gay, Sheph. Week, Monday, 83. Leek to the Welch, to Dutchmen Butter’s dear.
1719. D’Urfey, Pills (1872), III. 118. St. David, you know, loves Leeks and toasted Cheese.
1725. Ramsay, Gentle Sheph., I. i. For now, as clean’s a leek, Ye’ve cherish’d me since ye began to speak.
b. To eat the (or one’s) leek: to submit to humiliation under compulsion (in allusion to the Shaks. passage below).
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., V. i. 10. Hee is come to me, and prings me pread and sault yesterday, looke you, and bid me eate my Leeke.
1835. Disraeli, Lett., 20 Aug., in Corr. Sister (1886), 43. It was whispered the Whigs meant to swallow the Corporation leek.
1859. All Year Round, No. 29. 61. The Welshmen very humbly ate their leek.
1882. Stevenson, New Arab. Nts. (1884), 303. There was nothing for it but to obey…. But it was a leek to eat, and there was no denying it.
† 5. A cant term for a Welshman. Obs.
1725. New Cant. Dict., Leaks, Welshmen.
1728. [De Foe], Street-Robberies Consider’d, 33. Leake, Welshman.
† 6. (See quot.) Obs.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, II. 172/2. The Porrum, or Leek of the Eye [in Cows] is a swelling tumor in the eye.
7. Green-leek (parrot): see GREEN a. 12 b.
8. attrib. and Comb., as leek-bed, -blade, -colo(u)r, -garth, -green sb. and adj., -porridge, -pottage, -seed, -wort; † leek-head (see quot.).
14[?]. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 604/12. Porretarium, a *lekbed.
1573–80. Baret, Alv., L 285. A leeke bed, or a place set with lekes.
1886. Elworthy, W. Somerset Word-bk., Leek-bed, it is usual in talking to children, when of an inquiring turn, to tell boys that they were dug up in the leek-bed.
1538. Elyot, Dict., Porraceus, of the coloure of *leeke blades.
1658. Rowland, trans. Moufet’s Theat. Ins., 990. Three feet and shanks on each side of a *leek colour.
1570. Levins, Manip., 34/12. Ye *Leekegarth, porretum.
1662. Merrett, trans. Neri’s Art of Glass, xxxii. A very fair Sea-green, called *Leek green.
1864. R. F. Burton, Dahome, 58. A broad leek-green swamp.
1865. Grote, Plato, I. i. 81. Blue, violet, leek-green, nut-brown.
1726. Dict. Rust. (ed. 3), *Leek-Heads, a kind of Warts that come about a Horse’s Pasterns and Pastern-joints.
1795. Wolcot (P. Pindar), Lousiad, IV. Wks. 1812, I. 231. *Leek-porridge, stir-about, we’ll sooner want.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 295/2. *Leek pottage, porrata.
1781. [C. Johnston], John Juniper, II. I. vii. 176. It will agree with the stomach of a Welshman as well as leek-pottage.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XIII. 190. Lynne-seed and *lik-seed and lente-seedes alle Aren nouht so worthy as whete.
1528. Paynel, Salerne’s Regim. (1535), 91 b. The … ieuse of henbane with the leke sede muste be bourned to gether.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 6999. It wolde finde hom lec & worten [v.rr. *lek worten, like worten, lekwort] inowe bi þe ȝere.
