Definition
nounA limb or appendage that an animal uses for support or locomotion on land.
nounIn humans, the lower limb extending from the groin to the ankle.
Sentence Examples
It costs an arm and a leg.
I'll be about again when my leg heals.
How long can you balance on one leg?
Word Origin & History
From Middle English leg, legge, from Old Norse leggr (“leg, calf, bone of the arm or leg, hollow tube, stalk”), from Proto-Germanic *lagjaz, *lagwijaz (“leg, thigh”) (see it for more).
Cognate with Scots leg (“leg”), Icelandic leggur (“leg, limb”), Norwegian Bokmål legg (“leg”), Norwegian Nynorsk legg (“leg”), Swedish lägg (“leg, shank, shaft”), Danish læg (“leg”), Lombardic lagi (“thigh, shank, leg”), Latin lacertus (“limb, arm”), Persian لنگ (leng). Upon borrowing, mostly displaced the native Old English term sċanca (Modern English shank).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A stunning performance from the Republic of Ireland all but sealed progress to Euro 2012 as they crushed nine-man Estonia 4-0 in the first leg of the qualifying play-off tie in A Le Coq Arena in Tallinn."
— 2011 November 11, Rory Houston, “Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland”, in RTE Sport:
"I’m trying to go with my head and focus on the first guy, because this could be a relationship with legs."
— 2020 February 2, “One is a great guy; the other is good in bed. So who do I choose?”, in The Guardian:
"Which was lower than whale shit in the eyes of any paratrooper; it would have been a disgrace to be a leg."
— 2019, Elliot Murphy, A Vietnam Story, page 94:
"Hickman came in, making his legs, and stroking his cravat and ruffles."
— 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LXXIV”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLC:
"A leg is one column of a story. It has two legs if it is set in two columns and three legs if it is set in three columns. Avoid legs longer than 10 inches and shorter than 1 inch."
— 2015, Homer L. Hall, Megan Fromm, Aaron Manfull, Student Journalism & Media Literacy, page 266: