English word origin

Etymology of leed

From Middle English lede, shortened variant of leden (“language”), from Old English lēoden (“popular or national language, native tongue”), from Old English lēod (“people, nation”). Cognate with Scots leed (“language”).

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Language; tongue. · A national tongue (contra a foreign language). · The speech of a person, echelon of persons, or class of persons; form of speech; talk; utterance; manner of speaking or writing; phraseology; diction.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionledeenm
Inherited-form mentionlēodenang · popular or national language, native tongue
Derivation mentionlēodang · people, nation
Cognate mentionleedsco · language

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
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        "3": "lede"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lede"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "lēoden",
        "t": "popular or national language, native tongue"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English lēoden (“popular or national language, native tongue”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "ang",
        "3": "lēod",
        "t": "people, nation"
      },
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    },
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      },
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    }
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    ],
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      "leden#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "leoden#Old_English"
    ],
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      "lēod",
      "leod#Old_English"
    ],
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      "leed",
      "leed#Scots"
    ],
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    ]
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      "glosses": [
        "Language; tongue.",
        "A national tongue (contra a foreign language).",
        "The speech of a person, echelon of persons, or class of persons; form of speech; talk; utterance; manner of speaking or writing; phraseology; diction."
      ],
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        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A strain in a rhyme, song, or poem; refrain; flow. · A constant or repeated line or verse; theme. · Patter; rigmarole.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English lede, led, leod, variant of Middle English leth, leoth (“song, poem”), from Old English lēoþ (“song, poem, ode, lay, verse”), from Proto-Germanic *leuþą (“song, lay, praise”), from Proto-Indo-European *lēw- (“to sound, resound, sing out”). Cognate with Dutch lied (“song”) and German Lied (“song”), whence the English doublet lied.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionledeenm
Cognate mentionlethenm
Inherited-form mentionlēoþang · song, poem, ode, lay, verse
Inherited-form mention*leuþągem-pro · song, lay, praise
Derivation mention*lēw-ine-pro · to sound, resound, sing out
Cognate mentionliednl · song
Cognate mentionLiedde · song

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Lied",
        "t": "song"
      },
      "expansion": "German Lied (“song”)"
    },
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        "nocap": "1"
      },
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    ],
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    ],
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      "leoth",
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    ],
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      "leoþ#Old_English"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/leuþą"
    ],
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    ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Alternative spelling of lede (“a man; a person”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

See lede.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "links": [
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

verb

Obsolete spelling of lead (“to guide”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

See lead.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for leed →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bGVlZA