leprechaun

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See also: Leprechaun

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Irish leipreachán, luprachán, from Middle Irish luchrupán, from Old Irish luchorpán. See also Irish lucharachán.

The word's further etymology is disputed; it is traditionally explained as a compound containing lú (“small”, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-) +‎ corp (“body”, which is from Latin corpus).[1] However, an alternative suggestion is that it is a derivative of Latin Lupercī (“priests of Lupercus”), who were misinterpreted as an antediluvian species by medieval Irish scholars.[2]

Pronunciation

Noun

leprechaun (plural leprechauns)

  1. (Irish folklore) One of a race of elves that can reveal hidden treasure to those who catch them.
    • 1888, William Allingham, “The Lepracaun; or Fairy Shoemaker”, in William Butler Yeats, editor, Irish Fairy and Folk Tales, pages 86–87:
      Do you not catch the tiny clamour, / Busy click of an elfin hammer, / Voice of the leprechaun singing shrill, / As he merrily plies his trade?

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

References

  1. ^ “leprechaun, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1902.
  2. ^ Jacopo Bisagni (2012) “Leprechaun: A New Etymology”, in Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies, volume 64, pages 46–84

Further reading

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English leprechaun, from Irish leipreachán.

Pronunciation

Noun

leprechaun m (invariable)

  1. Alternative form of leprecauno

Portuguese

Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pt

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English leprechaun, from Irish leipreachán.

Pronunciation

Noun

leprechaun m (plural leprechauns)

  1. (Irish folklore) leprechaun
    Synonym: duende irlandês

Spanish

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia es

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English leprechaun, from Irish leipreachán.

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Noun

leprechaun m (plural leprechauns)

  1. (Irish folklore) leprechaun

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

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