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Definition of leek
leek
/liːk/
leek
Plural:leeks
leek Lexical Profile
CEFR
B1
Grade
4
Tier
2
Usage
Top 10k
leek Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
Scrabble UK
WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
A widely cultivated edible plant related to the onion, featuring flat, overlapping leaves that form an elongated, pale cylindrical stalk.
Example
"She chopped the leek thinly and sautéed it in butter to make a creamy potato soup."
2
British The plant serving as the traditional national floral emblem of Wales.
Example
"During the Saint David's Day parade, many Welsh guards proudly wore a leek pinned to their uniforms."
Word Nuance & Usage
Care should be taken not to confuse 'leek' (the vegetable) with its homophone 'leak' (a hole or crack through which liquid escapes).
• Rhymes for leek
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'lēac', of Germanic origin. It is related to Dutch 'look' and German 'Lauch', and forms the second root element in the word 'garlic'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Leek. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/leek