Main Entry: ¹leg

Pronunciation: \ˈleg also ˈlāg\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse leggr

Date: 14th century

1 : a limb of an animal used especially for supporting the body and for walking: as a (1) : one of the paired vertebrate limbs that in bipeds extend from the top of the thigh to the foot (2) : the part of such a limb between the knee and foot b : the back half of a hindquarter of a meat animal c : one of the rather generalized segmental appendages of an arthropod used in walking and crawling
2 a : a pole or bar serving as a support or prop <the legs of a tripod> b : a branch of a forked or jointed object <the legs of a compass>
3 a : the part of an article of clothing that covers the leg b : the part of the upper (as of a boot) that extends above the ankle
4 : obeisance, bow —used chiefly in the phrase to make a leg
5 : a side of a right triangle that is not the hypotenuse; also : a side of an isosceles triangle that is not the base
6 a : the course and distance sailed by a boat on a single tack b : a portion of a trip : stage c : one section of a relay race d : one of several events or games necessary to be won to decide a competition <won the first two legs of horse racing's Triple Crown>
7 : a branch or part of an object or system
8 plural : long-term appeal or interest <a news story with legs>

— leg·less \-ləs\ adjective

— a leg to stand on : support; especially : a basis for one's position in a controversy

— on one's last legs : at or near the end of one's resources : on the verge of failure, exhaustion, or ruin