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Webster 1913 Edition

Leg

Leg

(lĕg)
,
Noun.
[Icel.
leggr
; akin to Dan.
læg
calf of the leg, Sw.
lägg
.]
1.
A limb or member of an animal used for supporting the body, and in running, climbing, and swimming; esp., that part of the limb between the knee and foot.
2.
That which resembles a leg in form or use; especially, any long and slender support on which any object rests;
as, the
leg
of a table; the
leg
of a pair of compasses or dividers.
3.
The part of any article of clothing which covers the leg;
as, the
leg
of a stocking or of a pair of trousers
.
4.
A bow, esp. in the phrase to make a leg; probably from drawing the leg backward in bowing.
[Obs.]
He that will give a cap and make a
leg
in thanks for a favor he never received.
Fuller.
5.
A disreputable sporting character; a blackleg.
[Slang, Eng.]
6.
(Naut.)
The course and distance made by a vessel on one tack or between tacks.
7.
(Steam Boiler)
An extension of the 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
.
8.
(Grain Elevator)
The case containing the lower part of the belt which carries the buckets.
9.
(Cricket)
A fielder whose position is on the outside, a little in rear of the batter.
A good leg
(Naut.)
,
a course sailed on a tack which is near the desired course.
–
Leg bail
,
escape from custody by flight.
[Slang]
–
Legs of an hyperbola
(or other curve)
(Geom.)
,
the branches of the curve which extend outward indefinitely.
–
Legs of a triangle
,
the sides of a triangle; – a name seldom used unless one of the sides is first distinguished by some appropriate term;
as, the hypotenuse and two
legs
of a right-angled triangle
.
On one’s legs
,
standing to speak.
–
On one's last legs
.
See under
Last
.
–
To have legs
(Naut.)
,
to have speed.
–
To stand on one's own legs
,
to support one's self; to be independent.

Leg

(lĕg)
,
Verb.
T.
To use as a leg, with it as object
:
(a)
To bow.
[Obs.]
(b)
To run.
[Low]

Webster 1828 Edition

Leg

LEG

,
Noun.
1.
The limb of an animal, used in supporting the body and in walking and running; properly, that part of the limb from the knee to the foot, but in a more general sense, the whole limb, including the thigh, the leg and the foot.
2.
The long or slender support of any thing; as the leg of a table.
To make a leg, to bow; a phrase introduced probably by the practice of drawing the right leg backward. [Little used.]
To stand on one's own legs, to support one's self; to trust to one's own strength or efforts without aid.

Definition 2024

leg

leg

See also: lég, lèg, -leg, leg-, and leg.

English

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limb
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limb

Alternative forms

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”, in RTE Sport:
      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. (geometry) One of the branches of a hyperbola or other curve which extend outward indefinitely.
  10. A rod-like protrusion from an inanimate object, supporting it from underneath.
    the legs of a chair or table
  11. (usually used in plural) evidence, the ability for a thing or idea to succeed or persist
  12. (Britain, slang, archaic) A disreputable sporting character; a blackleg.
  13. 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.
  14. In a grain elevator, the case containing the lower part of the belt which carries the buckets.
  15. (cricket) A fielder whose position is on the outside, a little in rear of the batter.
  16. (telephony) A branch or lateral circuit connecting an instrument with the main line.
  17. (electrical) A branch circuit; one phase of a polyphase system.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Verb

leg ‎(third-person singular simple present legs, present participle legging, simple past and past participle legged)

  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

References

  1. ↑ “leg” in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Online.

Aromanian

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin ligō. Compare Daco-Romanian lega, leg.

Verb

leg (second-person singular present indicative ledz, third-person singular present indicative leadzi/leadze, second-person plural present indicative ligats, past participle ligatã)

  1. I tie, bind.

Related terms

See also

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse leikr.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lɑj/, [lɑjˀ]
  • Homophone: lej

Noun

leg c (singular definite legen, plural indefinite lege)

  1. play, game
  2. (zoology) spawning (fish)
Inflection

Etymology 2

Verb

  1. Imperative form of lege, from Old Norse leika.

Dupaninan Agta

Noun

leg

  1. neck; throat

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɛx

Verb

leg

  1. first-person singular present indicative of leggen
  2. imperative of leggen

Anagrams

German

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /leːk/

Verb

leg

  1. (colloquial) First-person singular present of legen.
  2. Imperative singular of legen.
  3. (colloquial) First-person singular subjunctive I of legen.
  4. (colloquial) Third-person singular subjunctive I of legen.

Icelandic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lɛːɣ/
  • Rhymes: -ɛːɣ

Noun

leg n ‎(genitive singular legs, nominative plural leg)

  1. uterus
  2. indefinite accusative singular of leg
  3. indefinite nominative plural of leg
  4. indefinite accusative plural of leg

Declension

Derived terms

Romanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [leɡ]

Verb

leg

  1. first-person singular present tense form of lega.
  2. first-person singular subjunctive form of lega.

Swedish

Abbreviation

leg

  1. certified, authorized; indicating an authorized medical doctor, not a quack. Abbreviation of legitimerad.

Noun

leg n

  1. (slang) ID card showing the owner's age; Abbreviation of legitimation.
    jag fick visa leg på systemet
    at the state monopoly liquor store, they asked me to verify my age

Declension

Inflection of leg 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative leg legget leg leggen
Genitive legs leggets legs leggens

See also

Torres Strait Creole

Etymology

From English leg.

Noun

leg

  1. lower leg, foot

Synonyms

  • ngar (western dialect)

Etymology

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 ‎(leng). Upon borrowing, displaced the native Old English term scanca.

Pronunciation

  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /lɛɡ/
  • (some US dialects) IPA(key): /leɪɡ/[1]
  • Rhymes: -ɛɡ

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