LEACH

leach, leaching

(noun) the process of leaching

leach, strip

(verb) remove substances from by a percolating liquid; “leach the soil”

leach, percolate

(verb) permeate or penetrate gradually; “the fertilizer leached into the ground”

leach

(verb) cause (a liquid) to leach or percolate

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

leach (plural leaches)

A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali.

A tub or vat for leaching ashes, bark, etc.

(nautical) Alternative spelling of leech.

A jelly-like sweetmeat popular in the fifteenth century.

Etymology 2

Verb

leach (third-person singular simple present leaches, present participle leaching, simple past and past participle leached)

(transitive) To purge a soluble matter out of something by the action of a percolating fluid.

(intransitive) To part with soluble constituents by percolation.

Usage notes

Do not confuse this verb with the verb leech.

Anagrams

• Hecla, chela

Proper noun

Leach

A surname.

Anagrams

• Hecla, chela

Source: Wiktionary


Leach, n. (Naut.)

Definition: See 3d Leech.

Leach, n. [Written also letch.] Etym: [Cf. As. leáh lye, G. lauge. See Lye.]

1. A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali.

2. A tub or vat for leaching ashes, bark, etc. Leach tub, a wooden tub in which ashes are leached.

Leach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Leached; p. pr. & vb. n. Leaching.] Etym: [Written also leech and letch.]

1. To remove the soluble constituents from by subjecting to the action of percolating water or other liquid; as, to leach ashes or coffee.

2. To dissolve out; -- often used with out; as, to leach out alkali from ashes.

Leach, v. i.

Definition: To part with soluble constituents by percolation.

Leach, n.

Definition: See Leech, a physician. [Obs.]

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

25 March 2025

IMMOBILIZATION

(noun) fixation (as by a plaster cast) of a body part in order to promote proper healing; “immobilization of the injured knee was necessary”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest collection of coffee pots belongs to Robert Dahl (Germany) and consists of 27,390 coffee pots as of 2 November 2012, in Rövershagen, Germany.

coffee icon