Leek

Leek

Noun · /liːk/

Definition

A cultivated plant of the genus Allium (Allium ampeloprasum), related to the onion and garlic, with a long white stalk and flat dark-green leaves; used as a vegetable with a mild, sweet flavour. The national emblem of Wales.

Origin

From Old English lēac (a leek, a plant of the onion family), from Proto-Germanic *lauka-. The same root gives garlic (from gar — spear + leek) and appears in place names such as Leckhampstead. The leek has been cultivated in the Mediterranean and Near East for at least 4,000 years.