Added 10 October 2026
leach
/liːt͡ʃ/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about leach at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
-
To purge a soluble matter out of something by the action of a percolating fluid.
Heavy rainfall can leach out minerals important for plant growth from the soil.
-
To part with soluble constituents by percolation.
The gangue was leached to recover minerals left behind by the original technology.
- To bleed; to seep.
Origin
From Middle English leche (“leachate; sluggish stream”), from Old English *lǣċ, *lǣċe (“muddy stream”), from Proto-Germanic *lēkijō (“a leak, drain, flow”) (compare Proto-Germanic *lekaną (“to leak, drain”)), from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to leak”). Cognate with Old English leċċan (“to water, moisten”), Old English lacu (“stream, pool, pond”). More at leak, lake.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)