Leech
/liːtʃ/noun
A bloodsucking worm-like parasite that feeds on animals, or historically, a physician.
Did you know?In Old English, a leech was a doctor or healer, and the same word later became the name for a bloodsucking creature because both were linked to the body and blood.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*lēkijaz
“healer, doctor”
Old English
OE
lēce
“physician, healer”
Old English
OE
lyce
“leech, bloodsucking worm”
Middle English
ME
leche
“physician; later also a bloodsucking worm”
Modern English
English
leech
“a bloodsucking parasite; formerly a physician”