Leper
/ˈlɛp.ər/noun
A person affected with leprosy, especially in historical or religious contexts.
Did you know?In medieval Europe, lepers were often treated as legally and symbolically dead, and the word became wrapped in religious fear long before modern medicine understood the disease.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*lep-
“A root associated with peeling or scaling off”
Ancient Greek
Greek
λεπρός (leprós)
“Scaly, rough; also used of diseases causing scaly skin”
Late Latin
Latin
leprosus
“Affected with leprosy; scaly”
Old French
Old French
lepre
“Leprosy; a leper”
Middle English
English
leper
“A person suffering from leprosy”
Modern English
English
leper
“A person affected with leprosy, or figuratively someone shunned or excluded”