leah

• IPA^(key): /læ͜ɑːx/

From Proto-West Germanic *lauh, from Proto-Germanic *lauhaz, from Proto-Indo-European *lówkos (“clearing”), derived from *lewk- (“bright”).

The use of the word meaning "meadow" is a later development of the word, possibly aided by confusion between lēas (plural of the original meaning of lēah) with lǣs.

lēah m (nominative plural lēas)

1. clearing
2. meadow

Occasionally feminine:

• Middle English: leye, ley, legh, lege, liegh
  • English: leigh, lea
  • Scots: le, ley, lei
  • ⇒? Yola: kotlieough, cotleough

From Proto-West Germanic *laugu.

lēah f

1. Alternative form of lēag

• Mills, David (1976) “Directory of Place Names”, in The Place Names of Lancashire, London: Batsford Books, →ISBN

Borrowed from Ukrainian лях (ljax), from Old Ruthenian лѧхъ (ljax), from Old East Slavic лѧхъ (lęxŭ), from Proto-Slavic *lęxъ, from Proto-Slavic *lęděninъ (“dweller of wasteland”).

leah m (plural leși)

1. (dated) Pole, Polack

• leah in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)