leek
UK[liːk]US[liːk]
n
a vegetable related to the onion, with a long white stem and wide flat green leaves, eaten cooked
Etymology
The English word 'leek' descends directly from the Old English 'lēac', which broadly referred to a plant, herb, or garlic. This Old English term has cognates in other Germanic languages, such as Old Norse 'laukr'. The ultimate origin is traced back to the Proto-Germanic 'lauka-', a word for a leek or onion. The semantic journey is straightforward, with the word's meaning narrowing from a general term for a pungent plant in its ancient roots to its specific modern reference to the long-stemmed vegetable Allium ampeloprasum, a staple in European cuisine.
Analysis
The word 'leek' is a simplex word of Old English origin. It does not contain separable morphemes within its modern English spelling.
Examples
The classic Welsh soup, cawl, is traditionally made with lamb and leeks.
She finely chopped the leek before sautéing it in butter for the potato soup.
The national emblem of Wales is a daffodil, though the leek is also a recognized symbol.