leap

pronunciation

How to pronounce leap in British English: UK [liːp] word uk audio image

How to pronounce leap in American English: US [liːp] word us audio image

Noun:

a light springing movement upwards or forwards
an abrupt transition
a sudden and decisive increase
the distance leaped (or to be leaped)
Verb:

move forward by leaps and bounds
pass abruptly from one state or topic to another
cause to jump or leap

Word Origin

leap: leap: [OE] Prehistoric Germanic *khlaupan was the source of English leap, and of its relatives German laufen and Dutch loopen (these both denote ‘run’, a meaning which leap used to have – and which is preserved in its first cousins lope [15], a borrowing from Old Norse, and elope). It is not known where it ultimately came from, although a connection has been suggested with Indo-European *kloub-, source of Lithuanian šlubuoti ‘limp’. The verb loaf may be related.=> loaf, lope

leap (v.): c. 1200, from Old English hleapan "to jump, run, leap" (class VII strong verb; past tense hleop, past participle hleapen), from Proto-Germanic *hlaupan (cognates: Old Saxon hlopan, Old Norse hlaupa, Old Frisian hlapa, Dutch lopen, Old High German hlouffan, German laufen "to run," Gothic us-hlaupan "to jump up"), of uncertain origin, with no known cognates beyond Germanic. Leap-frog, the children's game, is attested by that name from 1590s; figurative use by 1704. First loke and aftirward lepe [proverb recorded from mid-15c.] Related: Leaped; leaping.

leap (n.): c. 1200, from Old English hliep, hlyp (West Saxon), *hlep (Mercian, Northumbrian) "a leap, bound, spring, sudden movement; thing to leap from;" common Germanic (cognates: Old Frisian hlep, Dutch loop, Old High German hlouf, German lauf); from the root of leap (v.). Leaps has been paired with bounds since at least 1720.

vi.