leet

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /liːt/
• Rhymes: -iːt

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

• Homophone: Leith (th-stopping)

Etymology 1

From Scots leet, leit, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Old French lite, litte, variant of liste (“list”); or from Old Norse leiti, hleyti (“a share, portion”) (compare Old English hlēt (“share, lot”)); or an aphaeretic shortening of French élite.

Etymology 2

From Old English lēt, past tense of lǣtan (“to let”).

Etymology 3

Originated 1400–50 from late Middle English lete (“meeting”), from Anglo-Norman lete and Medieval Latin leta (Anglo-Latin), possibly from Old English ġelǣte (“crossroads”).

Etymology 4

Jamieson mentions the alternative spellings lyth, lythe, laid, and laith, and connects it to a verb lythe (“to shelter”), as it "is frequently caught ... in deep holes among the rocks".^[2]

Etymology 5

From Middle English lete, from Old English ġelǣt, ġelǣte, from Proto-Germanic *galētą, *lētą. More at leat.

Etymology 6

An aphetic form of elite, respelled according to leetspeak conventions.

References

• “leet”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• "leet" in the Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, MICRA, 1996, 1998.

Anagrams

• Teel, Tele, teel, tele, tele-

Noun

leet

1. nominative plural of lee

Anagrams

• tele, tele-

Verb

leet

1. inflection of leeden:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person plural present indicative
   3. second-person singular/plural imperative

Verb

leet

1. inflection of leeën:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person plural present indicative
   3. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch lēth, from Proto-West Germanic *laiþ.

Etymology 2

From Old Dutch *lēth, from Proto-Germanic *laiþą.

Further reading

• “leet (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “leet (III)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “leet (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “leet (II)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page II

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Frisian lēta, from Proto-West Germanic *lātan.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *lataz.

Verb

leet

1. simple past and past participle of lee

Noun

leet n

1. definite singular of le

Anagrams

• elte, etle, lete, tele

Adjective

leet

1. sorry, regretful, rueful

Etymology

From Old Frisian let, from Proto-West Germanic *lat. More at late.

Adjective

leet

1. late

Etymology

Compare Old English hlēt (“share, lot”).

Noun

leet (plural leets)

1. a list

Etymology

From Middle English lete, from Old English ġelǣte.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /liːt/

Noun

leet

1. leading road
   • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 78:

     Vour-wing leet.

     Four cross roads.

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 52