leach

1 of 2

noun

less common spelling of leech

1

: either vertical edge of a square sail

2

: the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail

leach

2 of 2

verb

ˈlēch 

leached; leaching; leaches

transitive verb

1

: to dissolve out by the action of a percolating liquid

leach out alkali from ashes

2

: to subject to the action of percolating (see percolate sense 1a) liquid (such as water) in order to separate the soluble components

3

a

: to remove (nutritive or harmful elements) from soil by percolation (see percolate sense 1a)

soil leached of its salts by torrential rains

b

: to draw out or remove as if by percolation

all meaning has been leached from my life

intransitive verb

: to pass out or through by percolation

Nutrients leached out of the soil with rainwater.

leachability

ˌlē-chə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

leachable

ˈlē-chə-bəl 

adjective

leacher noun

Examples of leach in a Sentence

Verb

Even a small amount of rain can leach the toxic material from the soil.

Certain kinds of treated wood can leach chemicals into the soil.

The chemical eventually leaches away from the soil.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Seven locations also showed chlorine-to-sulfate mass ratios high enough to signal elevated corrosion potential — a condition that can increase the likelihood that metals will leach from plumbing over time. —Bridget Shirvell, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026

More than 16,000 chemicals are found in plastics and these chemicals can leach out of plastic and into our food and bodies. —Shanna Swan, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026

Even acidic garden soil can become alkaline over time as a result of leaching, environmental factors, and certain soil amendments and fertilizers. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026

Over the years, heavy metals have leached into the farm’s soil and groundwater, Schroeder said. —Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

of uncertain origin

Note: Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, traces this verb to Old English leccan "to provide with moisture, wet, irrigate," a causative based on the stem of Germanic *lekan- "to lose liquid, leak" (see leak entry 1), though it is noted that leach only appears in the late eighteenth century, a gap of more than 800 years. Earlier than leach is a relevant noun, letch "a perforated vessel to hold wood ashes through which water is passed to extract the lye," attested in the later seventeenth century; it may continue, with a semantic shift, Middle English leche "solution obtained by pouring a liquid over or through a substance, infusion," which Middle English Dictionary traces to Old English *læc, *lec, a derivative of leccan. This letch is formally close to letch, latch "stream flowing through boggy ground," attested from Old English on as an element in place names (læces ford, læcemere), though now out of use, except perhaps in Scots and northern English dialects. The variance in vocalism of leach/letch could perhaps be explained as open syllable lengthening in the verb, despite its lack of attestation.

First Known Use

Verb

1796, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for leach

• beach
• beech
• bleach
• breach
• breech
• each
• keech
• leech
• meech
• peach
• preach
• reach

Kids Definition

leach

verb

ˈlēch

: to pass a liquid through to carry off the soluble components

also : to dissolve out by such means

leach minerals from rocks

Medical Definition

leach

transitive verb

ˈlēch 

1

: to subject to the action of percolating liquid (as water) in order to separate the soluble components

2

: to dissolve out by the action of a percolating liquid

intransitive verb

: to pass out or through by percolation

leachability

ˌlē-chə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

plural leachabilities

leachable

ˈlē-chə-bəl 

adjective