leap

leap · verb, noun, adjective¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*klewb-“to spring, stumble”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*hlaupaną
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*hlaupan
4. Old English · inherited fromhlēapan
5. Middle English · inherited fromlepen
6. English todayleap

From Middle English lepen, from Old English hlēapan, from Proto-West Germanic *hlaupan, from Proto-Germanic *hlaupaną. Doublet of lope, lowp, elope, gallop, galop, interlope, and loop. Cognate with North Frisian laap, luup, luupe (“to jog, run, walk”), Saterland Frisian lope, loope (“to run”), West Frisian ljeppe (“to jump”), Dutch lopen (“to run; to walk”), German laufen (“to run; to walk”), Limburgish loupe (“to jog, run, walk”), Low German lopen, loupen (“to run”), Luxembourgish lafen (“to run”), Vilamovian łaojfa (“to run”), Danish løbe (“to run”), Faroese leypa (“to jump”), Icelandic hlaupa (“to run; to jump”), Norwegian Bokmål løpe (“to run”), Norwegian Nynorsk laupa, laupe, løpa, løpe (“to run”), Swedish löpa (“to run”), from Proto-Indo-European *klewb- (“to spring, stumble”) (compare Lithuanian šlùbti ‘to become lame’, klùbti ‘to stumble’).

leap · noun²

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*laupaz“container, basket”
2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*laup
3. Old English · inherited fromlēap“basket”
4. Middle English · inherited fromlep
5. English todayleap

From Middle English lep, from Old English lēap (“basket”), from Proto-West Germanic *laup, from Proto-Germanic *laupaz (“container, basket”). Cognate with Icelandic laupur (“basket”).

Leap · proper noun³

Scottish and English surname, from the noun leap (“basket”). Compare Leeper.

Words from the same roots