leigh

See also: Leigh, léigh, and lèigh

English

Alternative forms

• lea, ley
• (in personal and place names) -leigh, -ley, -ly

Etymology

From Middle English legh, lege, lei (“clearing, open ground”) from Old English lēah (“clearing in a forest”) from Proto-Germanic *lauhaz (“meadow”), from Proto-Indo-European *lówkos (“field, meadow”). Akin to Old Frisian lāch (“meadow”), Old Saxon lōh (“forest, grove”) (Middle Dutch loo (“forest, thicket”); Dutch -lo (suffix forming place names)), Old High German lōh (“covered clearing, low bushes”), Old Norse ló (“clearing, meadow”). More at Waterloo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /liː/
• Rhymes: -iː
• Homophones: lea, Lea, Lee, Leigh, li, Li, Lie

Noun

leigh (plural leighs)

1. (archaic) A meadow.

Manx

Etymology

From Old French lei (“law”), ultimately from Latin lēx.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ləi̯/, [lɛi]
• Homophone: leih

Noun

leigh f (genitive singular leigh, plural leighaghyn or leighyn)

1. law

Derived terms

• fo-leigh
• leighder

Middle English

Verb

leigh

1. Alternative form of laughen

Yola

Etymology 1

Verb

leigh

1. Alternative form of leiough
   • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 84:

     Ch'am a stouk, an a donel; wou'll leigh out ee dey.

     I am a fool and a dunce; we'll idle out the day.

Etymology 2

Verb

leigh

1. Alternative form of leeigh (“to laugh”)
   • 1927, “ZONG O DHREE YOLA MYTHENS”, in THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD, page 131, lines 14:

     But aal a bys do leigh an praat,

     But all the boys do laugh and prate,