Etymology From Middle English leche (“blood-sucking worm”), from Old English lǣċe (“blood-sucking worm”), akin to Middle Dutch lāke ("blood-sucking worm"; > modern Dutch laak).
1
A typically aquatic blood-sucking annelid of the subclass Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis.
The leech on his leg had swelled to more than five inches long, puffed and swollen on his blood.2003, William W. Johnstone, The Last Of The Dog Team, page 195:
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Figuratively A person who derives advantage from others in a parasitic fashion.
'Wrecked his body and his mind, no use to hisself or his family or nobody, just a leech on society'.2000, Ray Garmon, The Man Who Just Didn't Care, page 20:
At this point, I felt this man was a leech. I suspected that he had spent a lifetime living off the good will of women that he met.2006, D. L. Harman, A State of Nine One One, page 106:
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Medicine, SciencesDated A glass tube designed for drawing blood from damaged tissue by means of a vacuum.
Etymology From Middle English leche (“blood-sucking worm”), from Old English lǣċe (“blood-sucking worm”), akin to Middle Dutch lāke ("blood-sucking worm"; > modern Dutch laak).
1
Literally To apply a leech medicinally, so that it sucks blood from the patient.
This had to be leeched, and lanced, and doctored with ointments and poultices for several weeks, till I was almost driven to despair, - for the weather was at length fine, and I was tantalized by seeing grand butterflies flying past my door, and thinking of the twenty or thirty new species of insects that I ought to be getting every day.1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 316:
The poppy made him sleep and while he slept they leeched him to drain off the bad blood.2000 August 8, George R[aymond] R[ichard] Martin, “Davos [Seaworth]”, in A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire; 3), London: Voyager, →ISBN, page 285:
2
Figuratively To drain (resources) without giving back.
Near-synonyms: mooch, suck down
Bert leeched hundreds of files from the BBS, but never uploaded anything in return.
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Her daughter Astrid (new Tim Burton muse Jenna Ortega) barely speaks to her, and her greasy-haired boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux, proving once again to be a comedic tour de force) obviously leeching off her fame and money2024 September 6, Anna McKibbin, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice reinvigorates Tim Burton’s stale brand, returning to practical playfulness”, in AV Club:
From Middle English leche (“physician”), from Old English lǣċe (“doctor, physician”), from Proto-West Germanic *lākī, from Proto-Germanic *lēkijaz (“doctor”), of disputed origin, but usually thought to be connected with Proto-Celtic (compare Old Irish líaig (“doctor, physician”)); perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to collect, gather”). Cognate with Old Frisian lētza (“physician”), Old Saxon lāki (“physician”), Old High German lāhhi (“doctor, healer”), Danish læge (“doctor, surgeon”), Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃 (lēkeis, “physician”). Slavic words such as Serbo-Croatian ljèkār, Polish lekarz (“physician, doctor”) are usually considered to be borrowings from Germanic.
Many skillful leeches him abide to salve his hurts.1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book)”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
The word Physitian we do vulgarly abuse (as we doe very many other(s)) for a Leech , or Medicus.1610, Armoriesː, Bolton:
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1610, Bolton, Armoriesː As if an expert leech must needs be expert in the physicks (that is, in those speculations which concerne the workes of nature) the nearest word to fall with our tongue, yet not farre from the thing, was physitian.
Thus virtuous Orsin was endued / With learning, conduct, fortitude / Incomparable; and as the prince / Of poets, Homer, sung long since, / A skilful leech is better far, / Than half a hundred men of war [...]1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678, →OCLC; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLC, page 2:
Can this proud leech, with all his boasted skill, / Amend the soul or body, wit or will?1807, George Crabbeː, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
For the sake of the minister’s health, and to enable the leech to gather plants with healing balm in them, they took long walks on the seashore or in the forest; mingling various talk with the plash and murmur of the waves, and the solemn wind anthem among in treetops.1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC, page 146:
Their functions are threefold, those of the medicine-man (the leech, or healer by supernatural means); of the soothsayer (the prophet through communion with the invisible world); and of the priest, especially in his capacity as exorcist1900, Augustus Henry Keane, Man, Past and Present, Cambridge: The University Press:
In ancient times runesters were a specialized class separate from that of the witch or ordinary spell caster (much as the other specialists such as the leech or healer and the seithkona were different from a witch), and even today many believe it takes years of training to become adept at using the runes in spell work.1996, Swain Wodening, “Scandinavian Craft Lesson 6: Runic Divination”, Theod Magazine 3 (4)
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"Leech?" "Not another doctor".2003, Brian Froud, Ari Berk, The Runes of Elfland, Pavillion Books, →ISBN, page 22:
There are many kinds of "Leech" or "healer" as there are healing techniques, some are more powerful than others and some are very specific to certain illnesses and complaints; some use potions and unguents, others crystals and stones, others galdr and some work their healing from within the hidden realms themselves.2004, Runic John, The Book of Seidr, Capall Bann Publishing, →ISBN, page 282:
1564, Accounts of Louth Corporalː Paid for leeching.. my horses very sick.
1566–74, Accounts of the Treasurer of Scotlandː To one man (that) broke his leg in Strivelin … Item to the man that leecheth him.
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though there are many Pretenders to the Art of Farriering and Cow-leeching, yet many of them are very ignorant , especially in the Countrie1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], →OCLC:
To help combat these problems, almost all sailmakers trim the leeches of their headsails to a hollow or concave profile and enclose a LEECHLINE within the leech tabling.1984, Sven Donaldson, A Sailor's Guide to Sails, page 130:
Trim the leech of the jib parallel to the main by watching the slot between the mainsail and the jib.2004, Gary Jobson, Gary Jobson's Championship Sailing, page 176: