leper

leper
\ \ [13] Etymologically, a person suffering from leprosy has ‘scaly’ skin. The Greek word for ‘scale’ was lépos or lepís. From them was derived the adjective leprósscaly’, whose feminine form léprā was used as a noun meaning ‘leprosy’. This passed via Latin lepra and Old French lepre into English as leper, where it still denoted ‘leprosy’. In the 14th century it came to be used for a ‘person suffering from leprosy’.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Leper — Lep er (l[e^]p [ e]r), n. [OE. lepre leprosy, F. l[ e]pre, L. leprae, lepra, fr. Gr. le pra, fr. lepro s scaly, fr. le pos scale, le pein to peel.] A person affected with leprosy. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • leper — one afflicted with leprosy, late 14c., from L.L. lepra, from Gk. lepra leprosy, from fem. of lepros (adj.) scaly, from leops a scale, related to lepein to peel, from lopos a peel, from PIE root *lep to peel, scale (see LEAF …   Etymology dictionary

  • leper — ► NOUN 1) a person suffering from leprosy. 2) a person who is shunned by others. ORIGIN Old French lepre, from Greek lepros scaly …   English terms dictionary

  • leper — [lep′ər] n. [ME lepre, leprosy < OFr < LL lepra (L leprae, pl.) < Gr < lepros, rough, scaly < lepein, to peel < IE base * lep , to peel off, scale > OE læfer, rush, reed] 1. a person having leprosy 2. a person to be shunned… …   English World dictionary

  • leper — [[t]le̱pə(r)[/t]] lepers 1) N COUNT A leper is a person who has leprosy. 2) N COUNT If you refer to someone as a leper, you mean that people in their community avoid them because they have done something that has shocked or offended people. The… …   English dictionary

  • leper — lep|er [ˈlepə US ər] n [Date: 1300 1400; Origin: leper leprosy (13 16 centuries), from Old French, from Late Latin lepra, from Greek, from lepein to remove skin ] 1.) someone who has leprosy 2.) someone that people avoid because they have done… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • leper — UK [ˈlepə(r)] / US [ˈlepər] noun [countable] Word forms leper : singular leper plural lepers 1) someone who has leprosy 2) someone who people refuse to talk to or work with because they do not like them …   English dictionary

  • leper — [13] Etymologically, a person suffering from leprosy has ‘scaly’ skin. The Greek word for ‘scale’ was lépos or lepís. From them was derived the adjective leprós ‘scaly’, whose feminine form léprā was used as a noun meaning ‘leprosy’. This passed… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • leper — noun 1》 a person suffering from leprosy. 2》 a person who is shunned by others. Origin ME: prob. from an attributive use of leper leprosy , from OFr. lepre, via L. from Gk lepra, feminine of lepros scaly …   English new terms dictionary

  • leper — noun (C) 1 someone who suffers from the disease of leprosy 2 someone that people avoid because they have done something that people disapprove of: They treated me as if I was some kind of leper …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • leper — /ˈlɛpə / (say lepuh) noun 1. a person affected with leprosy. 2. a person ostracised by society: *Susie the leper, the outcast, the untouchable, was literally crawling. –sutton woodfield, 1960. {Middle English lepre, from Old French: leprosy, from …  

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