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leach (lēch)
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v. leached, leach·ing, leach·es
v.tr.
1. To remove soluble or other constituents from by the action of a percolating liquid: heavy rains that leached the soil of minerals.
2. To remove from a substance by the action of a percolating liquid: acids in groundwater that leach calcium out of the bedrock.
3. To empty; drain: "a world leached of pleasure, voided of meaning" (Marilynne Robinson).
v.intr.
To be dissolved or passed out by a percolating liquid.
n.
1. The act or process of leaching.
2. A porous, perforated, or sievelike vessel that holds material to be leached.
3. The substance through which a liquid is leached.
[From Middle English leche, leachate, from Old English *lece, muddy stream; akin to leccan, to moisten.]
leach′a·bili·ty n.
leacha·ble adj.
leacher n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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