Word.ws English Dictionary

leech-finger

leech-finger noun: the finger next to the little finger; ring-finger.

Noun

leech-finger (plural leech-fingers)

  1. (obsolete) The finger next to the little finger; ring-finger.
    • Sing three Our Fathers on your leechfinger, and write around the sore.1973, Godfried Storms, Anglo-Saxon magic
    • The Leech finger has Coll on it, the sage Hazel, who is the master physician, and is surmounted by Saille, the Willow of enchantment.2005, Kisma Reidling, Faery Initiations

Synonyms of leech-finger

Forms of leech-finger

pluralleech-fingers
alternative formleechfinger
alternative formleech finger
alternative form (obsolete)leach-finger

Origin of leech-finger

From Middle English leche fingir, læchefinger, from Old English lǣċefinger (“fourth finger, leech-finger”), equivalent to leech (“physician”) + finger. Compare Old Norse lǽknisfingr (“leech-finger”), Icelandic læknisfingur. According to medieval belief, a nerve or artery ran from this digit to the heart. It gave the finger a prominent role in medical lore and practice. Doctors would use it when applying treatments, for example.

Questions about leech-finger

What does leech-finger mean?
Leech-finger means the finger next to the little finger; ring-finger.
What part of speech is leech-finger?
Leech-finger is a noun.
What is the plural of leech-finger?
The plural of leech-finger is leech-fingers.

Words near leech-finger in the dictionary

  1. leech
  2. Leech lattice
  3. Leech lattices
  4. leech line
  5. leech lines
  6. leech-finger
  7. leech-fingers
  8. leechbook
  9. leechbooks
  10. leechcraft
  11. leechcrafts

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: leech-finger (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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