Definitions and meaning of leu
leu
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Romanian leu (“lion”), from Latin leō (“lion”). Doublet of Leo, lev, lion, and Lyon.
Pronunciation
Noun
leu (plural lei)
- The unit of currency of Romania, equal to one hundred bani.
- The unit of currency of Moldova, equal to one hundred bani.
Translations
Anagrams
Bourguignon
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Latin locus.
Noun
leu m (plural leus)
- (Morvan) place
Catalan
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈlɛw]
- IPA(key): (Valencia) [ˈlew]
Noun
leu m (plural leus)
- leu (currency of Romania)
- leu (currency of Moldova)
Further reading
- “leu”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April
- “leu”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
- “leu” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
Champenois
Alternative forms
Etymology
Inherited from Old French leu, from Latin lupus.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /lø/
Noun
leu m (feminine leuve, plural leus)
- (Troyen) wolf
References
- Daunay, Jean (1998) Parlers de Champagne : Pour un classement thématique du vocabulaire des anciens parlers de Champagne (Aube - Marne - Haute-Marne)[1] (in French), Rumilly-lés-Vaudes
- Baudoin, Alphonse (1885) Glossaire de la forêt de Clairvaux[2] (in French), Troyes
Finnish
Etymology
From Romanian leu.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈleu̯/, [ˈle̞u̯]
- Rhymes: -eu
- Syllabification(key): leu
- Hyphenation(key): leu
Noun
leu
- leu (unit of currency of Romania and Moldova)
Declension
Synonyms
Further reading
- “leu”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish][3] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02
Anagrams
French
Etymology
From Romanian leu (“lion”). Doublet of lion.
Pronunciation
Noun
leu m (plural lei)
- leu (currency of Romania)
Further reading
- “leu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
Galician
Noun
leu m (plural lei)
- leu
Verb
leu
- third-person singular preterite indicative of ler
Middle French
Verb
leu
- past participle of lire
Old French
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Latin lupus.
Alternative forms
Noun
leu oblique singular, m (oblique plural leus, nominative singular leus, nominative plural leu)
- wolf (animal)
Descendants
- Middle French: leu
- ⇒ French: à la queue leu leu
- ⇒ Middle French: loup
- French: loup
- Haitian Creole: lou
- ⇒ Mauritian Creole: lulu
- ⇒ Seychellois Creole: loulou
- → English: loo; Loup
- Walloon: leu
Etymology 2
From Latin locus.
Noun
leu oblique singular, m (oblique plural leus, nominative singular leus, nominative plural leu)
- place
Synonyms
Derived terms
Old Irish
Pronunciation
Pronoun
leu
- third-person plural accusative of la
- c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 5b20
- c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 97d10
Papiamentu
Etymology
From Spanish lejos and French loin .
Adjective
leu
- far
Portuguese
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Romanian leu (“leu; lion”). Doublet of leão.
Noun
leu m (plural leus)
- leu (currency unit of Romania and Moldova)
Etymology 2
Verb
leu
- third-person singular preterite indicative of ler
Romanian
Alternative forms
- леу (leu) — post-1930s Cyrillic spelling
Etymology
Either inherited or a later learned borrowing from Latin leō (“lion”) (around the 17th century), itself from Ancient Greek λέων (léōn). All the other Romance cognates were derived from the accusative form leōnem or genitive leōnis (and some were borrowings themselves). Cf. also lăun and Lăune(le) (“a river in Romania”), as well as leoaie.
For the name of the currency, it was probably based on the Dutch leeuwendaalder (“lion thaler/dollar”), which depicted a lion; compare daalder, also German Löwenthaler. This traces back to the 17th century, when the Dutch currency was used in the Romanian principalities.
Another explanation gives the origin of this sense as a calque of Ottoman Turkish آرسلان (arslan, “lion”), which was also used to refer to a type of currency with a lion on it; see also piastru (English piastre). Compare also the sense of currency with Bulgarian лев (lev).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lew/
-
- Rhymes: -ew
Noun
leu m (plural lei)
- lion
- leu (Romanian and Moldovan unit of currency)
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
- “leu”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025
Slovak
Etymology
Derived from Romanian leu (“lion”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈlɛu̯/
- Homophone: lev
Noun
leu m inan (nominative plural lei)
- leu (currency of Romania)
Usage notes
- This noun can also be undeclined.
Further reading
- “leu”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Romanian leu.
Noun
leu m (plural lei)
- leu
Walloon
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old French leu, from Latin lupus.
Pronunciation
Noun
leu m (plural leus)
- wolf
References
- “Leu” in Laurent Remacle, Dictionnaire wallon-français (1852).
- “Leu” in Joseph Hubert, Dictionnaire wallon-liégeois et français (1853).
Source: wiktionary.org