lek

See also: Lek, lék, lęk, łęk, -lek, and -lék

English

WOTD – 6 April 2012

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɛk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛk

Alternative forms

• laike (Yorkshire)

Etymology 1

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.

Noun

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.

Derived terms

• lek paradox

Translations

an aggregation of male animals for the purposes of courtship and display

• Finnish: soidin (fi)
• German: Lek (de) m, Balzarena f
• Norwegian: spill (no) n (capercaillie, woodcock)

  Bokmål: lek (no) m (capercaillie, woodcock)

• Russian: ток (ru) m (tok)
• Swedish: lek (sv) c

Verb

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 are lekkin in t’park.

Translations

to take part in the courtship and display behaviour of a lek

• Finnish: soidintaa, olla soitimella
• Polish: tokować (pl)
• Russian: токова́ть (ru) (tokovátʹ)
• Swedish: leka (sv), spela (sv) (birds only)

Usage notes

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

Etymology 2

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

Noun

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.

Translations

currency of Albania

• Albanian: leku, lek (sq)
• Armenian: լեկ (hy) (lek)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 列克 (lit⁶ hak¹)

  Mandarin: 列克 (lièkè)

• Finnish: lek (fi)
• German: Lek (de) m
• Greek: λεκ (el) n (lek)
• Hungarian: lek (hu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: lek (no) m

• Polish: lek (pl) m
• Russian: лек (ru) m (lek)
• Serbo-Croatian: lek (sh) m
• Swedish: lek (sv) c

Anagrams

• Elk, Kel, elk

Albanian

Etymology

From Lekë, after Leka i Madh (“Alexander the Great”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlek/
• Rhymes: -ek

Noun

lek m (plural lekë)

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

   Synonyms: para, të holla

Descendants

• → English: lek

Further reading

• leku on the Albanian Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^sq

Czech

Etymology

Deverbal from lekat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɛk]

Noun

lek m inan

1. Synonym of leknutí

Declension

Declension of lek (velar masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	lek	leky
genitive	leku	leků
dative	leku	lekům
accusative	lek	leky
vocative	leku	leky
locative	leku	lecích
instrumental	lekem	leky

Further reading

• lek in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• lek in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
• lek in Internetová jazyková příručka

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch leken, from Old Dutch *lekan, from Proto-Germanic *lekaną (“to leak”). Or, from or related to laken (“to lack, blame”).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛk

Noun

lek n (plural lekken, diminutive lekje n)

1. leak

Adjective

lek (comparative lekker, superlative lekst)

1. leaky

Inflection

Inflection 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	—

Verb

lek

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

Anagrams

• elk

French

Noun

lek m (plural leks)

1. lek (currency)

Hungarian

Pronunciation

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

Noun

lek (plural lekek)

1. lek (the currency unit of Albania)

Declension

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	lek	lekek
accusative	leket	lekeket
dative	leknek	lekeknek
instrumental	lekkel	lekekkel
causal-final	lekért	lekekért
translative	lekké	lekekké
terminative	lekig	lekekig
essive-formal	lekként	lekekként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	lekben	lekekben
superessive	leken	lekeken
adessive	leknél	lekeknél
illative	lekbe	lekekbe
sublative	lekre	lekekre
allative	lekhez	lekekhez
elative	lekből	lekekből
delative	lekről	lekekről
ablative	lektől	lekektől
non-attributive possessive - singular	leké	lekeké
non-attributive possessive - plural	lekéi	lekekéi

Possessive forms of lek
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	lekem	lekjeim
2nd person sing.	leked	lekjeid
3rd person sing.	lekje	lekjei
1st person plural	lekünk	lekjeink
2nd person plural	leketek	lekjeitek
3rd person plural	lekjük	lekjeik

Anagrams

• kel

Isthmus Mixe

Noun

lek

1. toad

References

• 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

Middle English

Alternative forms

• leek, leeke, leke, leyke

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leːk/, /lɛːk/

Noun

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.

Related terms

• garlek
• houslek

Descendants

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

References

• “lẹ̄k, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-26.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse leikr.

Alternative forms

• leik (Nynorsk also)

Noun

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

1. play, playing
2. a game, contest

   de olympiske leker ― the Olympic Games

Derived terms

• drikkelek
• Samveldelekene

 

Related terms

• leke

Etymology 2

From Albanian lek.

Noun

lek m (indeclinable)

1. the lek, currency of Albania.

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

lek

1. imperative of leke

References

• “lek” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Anagrams

• kle

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

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

Adjective

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

1. lay

Etymology 2

From Old Norse lekr.

Alternative forms

• (adjective and noun) lekk

Adjective

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

1. leaky

Noun

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

1. a leak

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

lek

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

References

• “lek” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• elk, kle

Old Javanese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɛk/

Noun

lek

1. moon; month

   Synonyms: candra, śaśi, soma, wulan, windu

Derived terms

• lekan
• linekakĕn
• malekan
• pĕjah lek
• tan palekan

 

Descendants

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

Old Norse

Adjective

lek

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

Verb

lek

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

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɛk/

• Audio

  (file)

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

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lěkъ.

Noun

lek m inan

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

   Synonyms: lekarstwo, medykament

Declension

Declension of lek

	singular	plural
nominative	lek	leki
genitive	leku	leków
dative	lekowi	lekom
accusative	lek	leki
instrumental	lekiem	lekami
locative	leku	lekach
vocative	leku	leki

Derived terms

adjective

• lekowy

 

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Albanian lek.

Noun

lek m animal

1. lek (currency of Albania)

Declension

Declension of lek

	singular	plural
nominative	lek	leki
genitive	leka	leków
dative	lekowi	lekom
accusative	leka	leki
instrumental	lekiem	lekami
locative	leku	lekach
vocative	leku	leki

Further reading

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

Samoan Plantation Pidgin

Etymology

From English leg.

Noun

lek

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

References

• 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

Serbo-Croatian

Alternative forms

• lijȇk (Ijekavian)

Etymology 1

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

Noun

lȇk m (Cyrillic spelling ле̑к)

1. medicine

Declension

Declension of lek

	singular	plural
nominative	lek	lekovi
genitive	leka	lekova
dative	leku	lekovima
accusative	lek	lekove
vocative	leče	lekovi
locative	leku	lekovima
instrumental	lekom	lekovima

Related terms

• liječnik/lečnik
• ljèkārna

 

Etymology 2

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

Noun

lȇk m (Cyrillic spelling ле̑к)

1. little quantity

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

Declension

Declension of lek

	singular	plural
nominative	lek	lekovi
genitive	leka	lekova
dative	leku	lekovima
accusative	lek	lekove
vocative	leče	lekovi
locative	leku	lekovima
instrumental	lekom	lekovima

Slovene

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /léːk/

Noun

lẹ̑k m inan

1. medicine

Inflection

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)	—
dative (dajȃlnik)	—
accusative (tožȋlnik)	—
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	léku
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	lékom

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse leikr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leːk/

• Audio [ɛn̪ l̪eə̯cʰ]

  (file)

Noun

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

5. (biology) lek

Usage notes

Not restricted to children by definition, but childish-sounding. See also leka.

Declension

Declension of lek
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	lek	leken	lekar	lekarna
Genitive	leks	lekens	lekars	lekarnas

Derived terms

• barnlek
• den som ger sig in i leken får leken tåla
• fartlek
• katt-och-råtta-lek
• kattens lek med råttan
• kortlek
• kärlek
• lekfull
• leksak
• lekstuga

 

Verb

lek

1. imperative of leka

References

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

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English leg.

Noun

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)

References

• 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

Tzotzil

Pronunciation

• (Zinacantán) IPA^(key): /lɛkʰ/

Adjective

lek

1. good

   Antonym: chopol

Derived terms

(Verbal phrases)

• leklek ba

References

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

Zhuang

Alternative forms

• lik

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

lek (1957–1982 spelling lek)

1. (dialectal) iron (metal)

   Synonym: diet