Leg
/lɛɡ/noun
A lower limb used for standing, walking, or running.
Did you know?English leg is not the same word as Latin leg- “to gather” or legal “law”; its history runs through Old Norse and Proto-Germanic, showing how everyday body words can survive from the North while whole empires change.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*legʰ-
“to lie down, bend”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*lagją
“leg, shin”
Old Norse
ON
leggR
“leg, shank”
Middle English
ME
legge
“leg”
Modern English
EN
leg
“a lower limb”