Word.ws English Dictionary

leechbook

leechbook noun: a medical text of the Anglo-Saxon era; a compilation of medicinal cures and remedies used by leeches.

Noun

leechbook (plural leechbooks)

  1. (historical) A medical text of the Anglo-Saxon era; a compilation of medicinal cures and remedies used by leeches.
    • This Saxon manuscript has a dignity which is unique, for it is the oldest existing leech book written in the vernacular.1922, Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, The Old English Herbals, London: Longmans, Green and Co., page 5
    • One of the old Leech Books gives the formula for a salve against the "elfin race and nocturnal goblin visitors." Fourteen herbs, including wormwood, viper's bugloss and fennel, were first gathered.1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 257

Forms of leechbook

pluralleechbooks

Origin of leechbook

From Middle English leche (“doctor, physician”), from Old English lǣċe (“medical doctor”) + boc (“book”).

Questions about leechbook

What does leechbook mean?
Leechbook means a medical text of the Anglo-Saxon era; a compilation of medicinal cures and remedies used by leeches.
What part of speech is leechbook?
Leechbook is a noun.
What is the plural of leechbook?
The plural of leechbook is leechbooks.

Words near leechbook in the dictionary

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

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: leechbook (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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