• Leg

    Pronunciation

    • UK IPA: /lɛɡ/
    • some US dialects IPA: /leɪg/
    Merriam Webster Online|leg
    • Rhymes: -ɛɡ

    Alternative forms

    Origin

    From Middle English leg, from Old Norse leggr ("leg, calf, bone of the arm or leg, hollow tube, stalk"), from Proto-Germanic *lagjaz, *lagwijaz ("leg, thigh"), from Proto-Indo-European *(ǝ)lak-, *lēk- ("leg; the main muscle of the arm or leg"). Cognate with Scots leg ("leg"), Icelandic leggur ("leg, limb"), Norwegian legg ("leg"), Swedish lägg ("leg, shank, shaft"), Danish læg ("leg"), Lombardic lagi ("thigh, shank, leg"), Latin lacertus ("limb, arm"), Persian لنگ.

    Full definition of leg

    Noun

    leg

    (plural legs)
    1. The lower limb of a human being or animal that extends from the groin to the ankle.Dan won't be able to come to the party, since he broke his leg last week and is now on crutches.
    2. (anatomy) The portion of the lower appendage of a human that extends from the knee to the ankle.
    3. A part of garment, such as a pair of trousers/pants, that covers a leg.The left leg of these jeans has a tear.
    4. A stage of a journey, race etc.After six days, we're finally in the last leg of our cross-country trip.
    5. (nautical) A distance that a sailing vessel does without changing the sails from one side to the other.
    6. (nautical) One side of a multiple-sided (often triangular) course in a sailing race.
    7. (sports) A single game or match played in a tournament or other sporting contest.
      • 2011, November 11, Rory Houston, Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland, A stunning performance from the Republic of Ireland all but sealed progress to Euro 2012 as they crushed nine-man Estonia 4-0 in the first leg of the qualifying play-off tie in A Le Coq Arena in Tallinn.
    8. One of the two sides of a right triangle that is not the hypotenuse.
    9. A rod-like protrusion from an inanimate object, supporting it from underneath.the legs of a chair or table
    10. (usually used in plural) evidence, the ability of a thing or idea to stick around or persist
    11. (UK, slang, archaic) A disreputable sporting character; a blackleg.
    12. An extension of a steam boiler downward, in the form of a narrow space between vertical plates, sometimes nearly surrounding the furnace and ash pit, and serving to support the boiler; called also water leg.
    13. In a grain elevator, the case containing the lower part of the belt which carries the buckets.
    14. (cricket) A fielder whose position is on the outside, a little in rear of the batter.

    Verb

    1. To put a series of three or more options strikes into the stock market.
    2. To remove the legs from an animal carcass.
    3. To build legs onto a platform or stage for support.

    Derived terms

    Anagrams

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