I. ˈlēch noun
Etymology: Middle English leche, from Old English lǣce; akin to Old High German lāhhi physician
Date: before 12th century
1. archaic : physician , surgeon
2.
[from its former use by physicians for bleeding patients]
: any of numerous carnivorous or bloodsucking usually freshwater annelid worms (class Hirudinea) that have typically a flattened lanceolate segmented body with a sucker at each end
3. : a hanger-on who seeks advantage or gain
Synonyms: see parasite
• leech·like -ˌlīk adjective
II. verb
Date: 1641
transitive verb
1. : to bleed by the use of leeches
2. : to drain the substance of : exhaust
intransitive verb
: to attach oneself to a person as a leech
III. noun
also leach ˈlēch
Etymology: Middle English leche ; akin to Middle Low German līk boltrope
Date: 15th century
1. : either vertical edge of a square sail
2. : the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail