le

Borrowed from French le (“the”).

• IPA^(key): /lə/

  • Audio (California):

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• (especially US) IPA^(key): /leɪ/
• (rare) IPA^(key): /liː/

  • Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -ə, -eɪ, -iː
• Homophones: luh (with /ə/), lay, lei, ley (with /eɪ/), lea, Lea, Lee, leigh, Leigh, li (with /iː/)

le

1. (informal, humorous) the quotations ▼
   • 1949, Michael Maltese, For Scent-imental Reasons, spoken by Penelope Pussycat:

     Le mew. Le purr.

   • 1996 September 28, Game Freak, Pokémon Blue, Nintendo, level/area: S.S. Anne:

     Waiter: 'Bonjour! I am le waiter on this ship! [...] Ah! Le strong silent type!'

   • 2001 June 24, LaManna, “My Weekend...”, in alt.punk‎^[4] (Usenet):

     […] upon arrival, le girlfriend realizes she has left her ID back at my house (a 1 1/2 hour roundtrip on the Metro), […]

   • 2002 December 27, Amelia, “Re: Neat things SANTA brought me...”, in alt.fashion‎^[5] (Usenet):

     And then le boyfriend perks up and names around 8 different brands (Stila, MAC, Becca, Nars etc..) - I was *SO* proud of him!! :)

   • 2003 January 10, johnny dupe (quoting nowhere man), “Re: I can walk with jezus...”, in alt.fan.wings‎^[6] (Usenet):

     That was always OUR song (me and le girlfriend of the time).

   • 2012 October 1, Miranda Kenneally, Stealing Parker, Sourcebooks, Inc., →ISBN, page 63:

     That's when Waitress Seductress Extraordinaire comes back and gets our order. […] "We're sharing an order of à la Appalachia, he says, handing over the menus and turning his focus back to me. Le waitress stomps off. I ask, "Why are they called that?" "Because when they've got the fries stacked up they're higher than a mountain range." I groan and touch my stomach. "You're funny," he says, his eyes twinkling.

• Usually marks the speaker as pretending to be stereotypically French. For additional jocular effect, may be used where neither English nor French would place a definite article.
• Occasionally used with no association to French stereotypes, usually in certain online communities.

• moi
• ze

Borrowed from Old French lez (“side”).

• IPA^(key): /lə/, /li/, (sometimes) /leɪ/

le

1. (obsolete) Next to, near (still used in some place names).

   Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham near an old Roman road.

   Witton-le-Wear, Dalton-le-Dale, Hetton-le-Hole

• -el, EL, El, el

• IPA^(key): /ˈle/ [ˈlɛ]

lé

1. (transitive) have

more ▼    Conjugation of le (irregular)
		1st singular	2nd singular	3rd singular		1st plural	2nd plural	3rd plural
				m	f
present indicative I	V-affirmative	liyóh	litóh	léh	léh	linóh	litoonúh	loonúh
	N-affirmative	liyó	litó	lé	lé	linó	litón	lón
	negative	máliyo, máyyu	málito, mántu	máli	máli	málino, mánnu	máliton	málon
present indicative II		affirmative present indicative I + imperfective of én
past indicative I		lúk + perfective of én
past indicative II		lúk + perfective of sugé
present potential	affirmative	liyóm takkéh	litóm takkéh	lém takkéh	lém takkéh	linóm takkéh	litoonúm takkéh	loonúm takkéh
past conditional	affirmative	lúk + past conditional of sugé
		-h converb	-k converb	-in(n)uh converb	infinitive
		líh	lúk	línnuh	líyya

• E. M. Parker; R. J. Hayward (1985), An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN, page 284

Jussive particle le (“let”) corresponds with 2nd person/singular Aorist form of Albanian lë (“to let/leave (go/behind)”); le (“you let/left (go/behind)”). From Proto-Albanian *laide (“let”).^[1] Identical to Baltic permissive and optative particles Latvian lai (“to let”), Lithuanian lai̇̃, Old Prussian -lai.^[2][3][4][5]

Cognate to Albanian lihem (“to be left; allowed”) (Standard & Tosk), Gheg Albanian lêhem, lêna (passive forms of active lë).^[6][7]

le (aorist láshë, participle lënë)

1. second-person singular aorist active indicative of lë
2. second-person singular aorist passive indicative of lihem

le (+)

1. (jussive) let

   Jussive modal particle used before verbs. A gentle way to express orders, instructions or to ask for approval/permission. Jussive construction:

   1. jussive particle → le (“let”)

   2. + subjunctive particle → të (“it”)

   3. + → subjunctive verb form (present, imperfect, perfect or past perfect). See also (*) for irregular verbs.

   Examples: third-person singular present active jussive of marr:

   le (“let”) + të + marrë (“take”)

   le të marrë ― let it take

   third-person singular present passive jussive of merrem:

   le (“let”) + të + merret (“deal (with)”)

   le të merret ― let it deal (with)

   third-person singular present active jussive of shkoj:

   le (“let”) + të + shkojë (“go”)

   le të shkojë ― let him go

   third-person plural present active jussive of shkoj:

   le (“let”) + të + shkojnë (“go”)

   le të shkojnë ― let them go

   third-person singular present active jussive of flas:

   le (“let”) + të + flasë (“talk; speak”)

   le të flasë ― let him talk

   third-person plural present active jussive of flas:

   le (“let”) + të + flasin (“talk; speak”)

   le të flasin ― let them talk

   (*) Irregular verb:

   indicative/present → subjunctive/present

   është (“is”) → jetë (“be”)

   Example: third-person singular present active jussive of jam:

   le (“let”) + të (“it”) + jetë (“be”)

   le të jetë ― let it be

2. (subjunctive) + që (“that”) → subjunctive: not only that; if only; would that

   Le që... ― Not only that...

3. (Gheg, subjunctive) → mostly + se (“that”) instead of që (“id”): not only that; if only; would that

   Le se... ― Not only that...

• do, do të
• le të, le që, le se
• të, se, që

• Oda Buchholz, Wilfried Fiedler, Gerda Uhlisch (2000), Langenscheidt Handwörterbuch Albanisch, Langenscheidt Verlag, →ISBN, page 273 (juss. particle ¹le / ²le (+ që) → subjunc. / verb ³le 2nd p./sg. aor. of lë)
• [7] jussive particle le (engl. let) • Fjalor Shqip (Albanian Dictionary)
• [8] conjugation active verb lë (e kryera e thjeshtë (engl. Aorist): 1st/sg) lashë; (2nd/sg) le; (3rd/sg) la; (1st/pl) lamë; (2nd/pl) latë; (3rd/pl) lanë) • Fjalor Shqip (Albanian Dictionary)

From Proto-Albanian *laida, an ostensibly o-grade thematic present from the root *leyd- (“to let go, release”).

le needs inflection

1. (dialectal) to give birth, bear synonyms ▲

   Synonyms: lej, lind

   lehet ― is born

   u le ― to be born

• lej, lind

• Orel, Vladimir E. (1998), “lej”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden; Boston; Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 217
• AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 56: “nascere” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it

From Latin ille (“that one”).

le

1. (to) him (indirect object)

• li

• lou

From Latin ille.

le (alternative form lou, feminine lai, plural les)

1. the

le ? (plural leou)

1. vow

From English lesbian.

le

1. (China, Internet slang) lesbian

From Middle Cornish le, from Proto-Brythonic *lleɣ, from Proto-Celtic *legyom. Cognate to Welsh lle and Breton lec'h.

le m (plural leow)

1. place, location, venue

   Pur vysi yw an le ma der an hav.

   This place is very busy through the summer.

2. space, seat

   Eus le yn an park kerri na?

   Is there a space in that car park?

   Res yw dhywgh ragerghi le rag an kyttrin leel.

   You need to book a seat for the local bus.

3. situation

From Middle Cornish le, from Proto-Brythonic *llaɣü (comparative of *llaɣw), from Proto-Celtic *lagyūs (comparative of *legus). Cognate with Welsh llai.

le

1. comparative degree of byghan — smaller synonym, antonym ▲

   Synonym: byghanna

   Antonym: brassa

2. fewer, less

le

1. fewer, less

From Latin illae, feminine plural of ille (“that”), from Old Latin olle. Cognates include Italian le (“the, them”) and French les (“the, them”).

le

1. archaic form of e

le

1. archaic form of e

• https://infcor.adecec.net/

From Latin illae, nominative feminine plural of ille.

le f pl

1. the

• el
• la
• i

• IPA^(key): [leˀ]

From Old Norse lé (“scythe”), from Proto-Germanic *lewô, cognate with Norwegian ljå and Swedish lie.

le c (singular definite leen, plural indefinite leer)

1. scythe (farm tool)

From Old Norse hlæja, from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną, cognate with English laugh and German lachen.

le (imperative le, present ler, past lo, past participle leet or let)

1. to laugh (show mirth by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face and emission of sounds)

• le on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da
• Le (flertydig) on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da

• “le” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “le” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

From Latin illī.

le

1. Third person dative pronoun; to him, to her, to it, to them

• Takes the form -li when suffixed to an impersonal verb form.

• Valeš, Miroslav (2021), Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)‎^[9], 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN, page 187

le (ORB, broad)

1. alternative form of lo

le (ORB, broad)

1. alternative form of lo

• le [1] in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
• le in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

From Middle French le, from Old French le, from Latin illum, by dropping il- and -m. Latin illum is the accusative singular of ille.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /lə/
• (before a word starting with a vowel) IPA^(key): /l‿/

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• (Paris) IPA^(key): /lø/
• (Louisiana) IPA^(key): /l(ə)/

• Audio (France):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Rhymes: -ə

le m (feminine la, masculine and feminine plural les, prevocalic masculine or feminine singular l')

1. the (definite article)

   Le lait du matin. ― The milk of the morning.

2. Used before abstract nouns; not translated in English.

   L'amour est aveugle.

   Love is blind.

3. Used before the names of most countries, many subnational regions, and other geographical names including names of lakes and streets; not translated into English in most cases.

   Je vais visiter le Canada l'année prochaine, surtout l'Ontario et le Québec.

   I will be visiting Canada next year, especially Ontario and Quebec.

   La place Rouge se trouve au cœur de Moscou.

   Red Square is located in the heart of Moscow.

4. (before parts of the body) the; my, your, etc.

   Il s’est cassé la jambe. ― He has broken his leg.

5. (before units) a, an, per

   cinquante kilomètres à l’heure ― fifty kilometres an hour

   trois dollars le morceau ― three dollars per piece

6. (before dates) on

   Je suis née le 1er juillet 1967. ― I was born on July 1, 1967.

• le becomes l’ before a vowel or an unaspirated h.

  l’amour ― love

  l’endroit ― the place

  l’homme ― the man

• When the article le is preceded by the prepositions de or à, *de le or *à le is not used (except dialectally); instead, it is contracted into du or au, respectively. Likewise, *de les and *à les are replaced by des and aux (except dialectally). However, la may be preceded by de and à.

  Il a une cicatrice au visage. ― He has a scar on the face. / He has a scar on his face.

• *de le and *à le become de l' and à l' respectively in front of a vowel or an unaspirated h.

le m (feminine la, masculine and feminine plural les)

1. (direct object) him, it

   Où est Malik ? Je ne le vois pas.

   Where is Malik? I don't see him.

   Mon sac ? Je vais le mettre dans la voiture.

   My bag? I'm going to put it in the car.

2. used to refer to something previously mentioned or implied; not translated in English

   Je suis petit et lui, il l’est aussi. ― I am small and he is too (literally, “... and he is it too”)

• Unlike the definite article le, the pronouns le and les may be preceded by the prepositions de and à: Je cherchais à le voir. ― I was trying to see him.

• “le”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

le (third person feminine direct object)

1. her

• jê
• i

le

1. (Pular, Maasina) as for, truly

   aan le?

   and as for you?

   (Maasina)

   O yahii le!

   He really left!

   (Pular)

• Oumar Bah, Dictionnaire Pular-Français, Avec un index français-pular, Webonary.org, SIL International, 2014.
• Richard Smith, Urs Niggli, Dictionnaire fulfulde - anglais - français, Webonary.org, SIL International, 2016.

le

1. inflection of ler:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

le

1. masculine definite article

   Mutu le ― The man

• to

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɛ]

• Audio:

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• Rhymes: -lɛ

le (comparative lejjebb)

1. down

This term may also be part of the split form of a verb prefixed with le-, occurring when the main verb does not follow the prefix directly. It can be interpreted only with the related verb form, irrespective of its position in the sentence, e.g. meg tudták volna nézni (“they could have seen it”, from megnéz). For verbs with this prefix, see le-; for an overview, Appendix:Hungarian verbal prefixes.

• le in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.

• el

• IPA^(key): /le/, /lɛ/

Borrowed from Italian le.

le (plural)

1. the (used only when there is no other sign of plurality, for example with nominalized adjectives)

   Yen pomi, prenez le bona e lasez le mala.

   Here's apples, take the good ones and leave the bad ones.

• la

From l +‎ -e.

le (plural le-i)

1. The name of the Latin script letter L/l.

• Latin script letter names: literi: a · be · ce · che · de · e · fe · ge · he · i · je · ke · le · me · ne · o · pe · que · re · se · she · te · u · ve · we · xe · ye · ze ^[edit]

le

1. the

• de le is contracted into del.
• a le is contracted into al.

le m (plural les)

1. him (direct object)

   Io le appella mi amico. ― I call him my friend.

• lé (superseded)

From a conflation of two Early Modern Irish prepositions:

1. re (“to”), from Classical Gaelic re, from Middle Irish ri, fri, from Old Irish fri, from Proto-Celtic *writ- (compare Welsh wrth, prefix gwrth-), from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn”) (compare Latin versus (“against”)).
2. le (“with”), from Old Irish la, from Proto-Celtic *let-, from Proto-Celtic *letos (“side”) (compare leath, Welsh lled).

• IPA^(key): /lʲɛ/

le (plus dative, triggers h-prothesis, before the definite article leis)

1. with

   le héadach ― with clothing

2. used in conjunction with the copula particle is and a noun to indicate possession

   Is liomsa an hata.

   The hat is mine; the hat belongs to me.

   Is le Cáit an peann luaidhe.

   The pencil is Cáit’s; the pencil belongs to Cáit.

3. (in conjunction with the copula particle is and an adjective) in the opinion of, in the consideration of

   Is beag liom an cheist.

   The issue is unimportant to me/in my opinion.

4. to (indicating purpose; in this sense triggering eclipsis of vowel-initial verbal nouns)

   rud le n-ithe ― something to eat

   oiriúnach le n-ól ― fit to drink

   ró-the le n-ól ― too hot to drink

   Cé mhéad atá le n-íoc?

   How much does it cost?

   (literally, “How much is to pay?”)

5. to (after a verb of speaking)
6. in order to synonyms ▲

   Synonyms: chun, d'fhonn

   le rud a dhéanamh ― in order to do a thing

• Níl sé ina lá (Irish traditional song):

  Is é dúirt sí liom “ní bhfaighidh tú deor.
  Buail an bóthar is gabh abhaile.”

  And what she said to me was, “you won’t get a drop.
  Hit the road and go home.”

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “le”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “fri”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “la”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• “le”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2025

• IPA^(key): /le/
• Rhymes: -e
• Hyphenation: le

From Latin illas, which is the accusative plural feminine of ille.^[1] Cognate with Sicilian li~i.

le f pl (singular la)

1. the

• Contrary to la, le does not elide before words that begin with a vowel:

  le amiche ― (the female) friends

le f pl (masculine li, singular la)

1. (accusative) them (third-person plural feminine)

   Le ho viste. ― I saw them.

• Never elides.
• Becomes glie when followed by a third person direct object clitic (lo, la, li, le, or ne).

• -le (enclitic)

From Vulgar Latin *illae, a nonstandard form of Latin illī (dative singular of illa). The ae in illae is modelled under influence of the dative case for first-declension feminine nouns, e.g. Classical Latin puellae. Cognate with Sicilian ci.

le f (plural gli)

1. (dative) her, to her synonym ▲

   Synonym: (informal) gli

   Le ho detto che la amo. ― I told her that I love her.

   Le ho dato la lettera. ― I gave her the letter.

2. (dative) you, to you (term of respect)

   Non le ho detto il mio nome. ― I didn't tell you my name.

   Le ho dato la lettera. ― I gave you the letter.

• In formal writing, when le is used as term of respect it is usually capitalised/capitalized as Le to avoid confusion with le (“her”).
• In informal contexts often replaced with gli, especially in spoken language.
• Becomes glie when followed by a third person direct object clitic (lo, la, li, le, or ne).
• Never elides.

• Le

• el

le

1. Rōmaji transcription of れ゚
2. Rōmaji transcription of レ゚

Inherited from Old Spanish le, from Latin illī, dative of ille.

le m or f by sense (Hebrew spelling לי)^[1]

1. (to) him, (for) him; dative of el quotations ▼
   • 2007, Hernán Rodriguez Fisse, “Alkunya Rodrik o Rodriguez”, in El Amaneser, section 27:

     En 1923, se modernizo la identidad de las personas, pero a unos ermanos de mi Papu le metieron en el nufus la alkunya Rodrik, i a la otra mitad de la famiya, la alkunya Rodriges.

     People’s identities were modernised in 1923, but like some of my grandfather’s brothers they put him on the Rodrik surname identity card, and as for my family’s other half, the surname Rodriges.

2. (to) her, (for) her; dative of eya
3. (to) it, (for) it; dative of eyo

From Arabic لَا (lā). Cognate with Hebrew לא (lō).

• IPA^(key): /lɛː/
• Rhymes: -ɛː

le

1. no synonym ▲

   Synonym: leqq (colloquial)

le (le⁵ / le⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄌㄜ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 了
2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 餎 / 饹

le

1. nonstandard spelling of lē
2. nonstandard spelling of lè

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

From French le.

• IPA^(key): /lø, le/

le

1. (definite) the

From Rotuman.

le

1. person

From Old French le, from Latin illum.

le m (feminine la, masculine and feminine plural les)

1. the

• French: le

• IPA^(key): /le/
• Rhymes: -e

le

1. alternative form of 'e

From Old Norse hlé.

le (indeclinable)

1. lee or leeward (side)

le n

1. lee (sheltered or leeward side)
2. shelter

From Old Norse hlæja (“to laugh”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *klek-, *kleg- (“to shout”).

le (imperative le, present tense ler, passive -, simple past lo, past participle ledd, present participle leende)

1. to laugh

• “le” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

• IPA^(key): /leː/

From Old Norse hlæja (“to laugh”),^[1] from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną, from the Proto-Indo-European root *klel-, *kleg- (“to shout”). Akin to English laugh.

• læ, læja (archaic or obsolete)^[2][3]

le (present tense ler, past tense lo, supine ledd or lett, past participle ledd, present participle leande, imperative le)

1. (intransitive) to laugh

• latter
• løye
• lått

From Old Norse hlé.^[1] Akin to English lee.

le n (definite singular leet, indefinite plural le, definite plural lea)

1. lee (sheltered or leeward side)
2. shelter

le (indeclinable)

1. lee or leeward (side)

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

le

1. imperative of lea

• el

• lo (9th century in The Sequence of Saint Eulalia and 10th century in La Vie de Saint Léger)

From Latin ille.

• IPA^(key): /lə/

le

1. the (masculine singular oblique definite article)
2. (Picard, Anglo-Norman) the (feminine singular definite article)

When coming after en, the two words combine into el.

le

1. it (masculine singular object pronoun)

• Middle French: le
  • French: le

• el

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *le.

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /lʲɛ/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /lʲɛ/

le

1. but quotations ▼
   • 1874-1891 [15th century], Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności‎^{[10], [11], [12]}, volume XXII, page 60:

     *Nyą raczy mą zapomneczi, le mą raczy szobe przypyszaczy

     [Nie raczy mię zapomnieci, le mię raczy sobie przypisaci]

2. only quotations ▼
   • 1874-1891 [Middle of the 15th century], Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności‎^{[13], [14], [15]}, volume XXII, page 235:

     Bo yako gymyenya wyeloscz a czczi tego swyata nabiczye cziny ludzi nadąte a pischne, tako potąpyenye a vbostwo, le skromne, czini vbogye duchem

     [Bo jako jimienia wielość a czci tego świata nabycie czyni ludzi nadęte a pyszne, tako potępienie a ubostwo, le skromne, czyni ubogie duchem]

3. that is, namely quotations ▼
   • Middle of the 15th century, Rozmyślanie o żywocie Pana Jezusa‎^[16], page 546:

     Gorze temv, lye duschy y czyalv ktorego..., yen nye zdradzyl

     [Gorze temu, le duszy i ciału [ktorego] [tego]..., jen mnie zdradził]

   • Middle of the 15th century, Rozmyślanie o żywocie Pana Jezusa‎^[17], page 599:

     Iesus... dluzey począl szye modlycz, lye przeto dluzey szye modly, yze blyzey ku smyerczy ydzye

     [Jesus... dłużej począł sie modlić, le przeto dłużej sie modli, iże bliżej ku śmierci idzie]

• Middle Polish: le

• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “le”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /le, ɽe/

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

1. that, this (agr: dist fem / dist non-nom masc)

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “le”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[18], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /le, ɽe/

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

1. those, these (agr: dist)

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “le”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[19], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /le, ɽe/

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

1. that one
2. it
3. she (dist fem nom)

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “le”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[20], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /le, ɽe/

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

1. those ones
2. these ones
3. they (dist nom)

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “le”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[21], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Pnar cardinal numbers

<  2	3	4  >
Cardinal : le     Ordinal : wa le

From Proto-Khasian *laːj. Cognate with Khasi lai. Compare Proto-Palaungic *ləʔɔːj (whence Blang [La Gang] lɔ́j) and Car Nicobarese lōe.

• IPA^(key): /le/

le

1. (cardinal number) three

From Latin illīs, dative common plural of ille.

• IPA^(key): /le/

• Audio:

  Duration: 1 second.0:01

  (file)

• Rhymes: -e

le m (unstressed dative form of ei)

1. (indirect object, third-person masculine plural) to them (all-male or mixed group)

le f (unstressed dative form of ele)

1. (indirect object, third-person feminine plural) to them (all-female group)

le m (unstressed accusative form of ele)

1. (direct object, third-person feminine plural) them (all-female group)

• lor (stressed dative of ei and ele)
• ele (stressed accusative of ele)
• îl (unstressed dative of el (singular))
• îi (unstressed dative of ea (singular) and unstressed accusative of ei (masculine))
• o (unstressed accusative of ea (singular))

le

1. the (the definite article)

Only in the singular. Sometimes used where the indefinite article would be used in English.

• se

From Old Irish la. Cognates include Irish le and Manx lesh.

• IPA^(key): /le/
• Hyphenation: le

le (+ dative, no mutation, before the definite article leis)

1. with
2. by
3. down

   Thuit e leis a' chreig. ― He fell down the rock.

   deòir a' ruith leis a h-aodann ― tears running down her face

• When referring to being with people, còmhla ri is preferred to le by many speakers.

le (Cyrillic spelling ле)

1. (archaic) only quotations ▼
   • 1556, Hanibal Lucić, U vrime ko čisto:

     Nego se varteći dugo tuj zamani,
     Goro, le htih reći, zbogome ostani.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• samo, tek

Possibly related to Slovak len and Pannonian Rusyn лєм (ljem). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /lɛ́/

lȅ

1. only, merely, just quotations ▼
   • 2024, Raiven, “Veronika”:

     Tvojo resnico le ona ve.

     Only she knows your truth.

• “le”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2025

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

le

1. these; class 4 proximal demonstrative.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

le

1. this; class 9 proximal demonstrative.

From Latin illī, dative of ille.

• IPA^(key): /le/ [le]

• Audio (Colombia):

  Duration: 1 second.0:01

  (file)

• Rhymes: -e
• Syllabification: le

le m or f by sense

1. to him, for him; dative of él

   Mi mamá va a escribirle una carta.

   My mom is going to write him a letter.

2. to her, for her; dative of ella

   Le dio un beso a Ana.

   He gave Ana a kiss.

3. to it, for it; dative of ello

   ¡Ponle esfuerzo!

   Put some effort into it!

4. to you, for you (formal); dative of usted

   ¿A usted le gustan los caballos?

   Do you like horses?

5. (leísmo, dialectal) you (formal); accusative of usted synonyms ▲

   Synonyms: lo, la

   Ana, ¿necesita que le ayude en algo?

   Ana, do you need me to help you with anything?

6. (leísmo, dialectal) him; accusative of él synonym ▲

   Synonym: lo

   Él es mi amigo, le conozco desde pequeño.

   He is my friend, I know him since he was little.

7. (leísmo, dialectal, proscribed except in impersonal sentences with "se") it; accusative of ello synonym ▲

   Synonym: (when proscribed) lo

   Se le conoce como la ciudad que nunca duerme. [non-proscribed]

   They know it as the City That Never Sleeps.

   ¿Te gusta mi auto? Le compré con mis ahorros. [proscribed]

   Do you like my car? I bought it with my savings.

8. (leísmo, dialectal, proscribed except in impersonal sentences with "se") her; accusative of ella synonym ▲

   Synonym: (when proscribed) la

   Se le conoce como la Reina del Pop. [non-proscribed]

   They know her as the Queen of Pop.

   Ayer le vi cenando en un restaurante. [proscribed]

   Yesterday I saw her dining at a restaurant.

• Though le is usually the indirect object form of the direct object pronouns lo/la, it is often used in Spain as a direct object as well...e.g., yo le amo (“I love him”). This phenomenon is known as leísmo.
• Note that when a sentence contains a noun that is an indirect object, a redundant indirect object le (or its plural form les) is also required; for example yo le daré el libro a Jorge (literally “I will give him the book to Jorge”), where him/le corresponds to Jorge. This type of pronoun is obligatory. Both of the object pronouns le and les become se when followed by the direct object lo/la/los/las; hence, yo se lo daré (“I will give it to him/her/them”) rather than *yo le/les lo daré.

le gender-neutral

1. (gender-neutral, neologism) to them, for them (singular); dative of elle

   Le diré que te llame.

   I will tell them to call you.

• “le”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024
• “leísmo”, in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas [Panhispanic Dictionary of Doubts] (in Spanish), 2nd edition, Royal Spanish Academy; Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, 2023, →ISBN

Inherited from Proto-Bantu [Term?].

• Audio (Kenya):

  Duration: 1 second.0:01

  (file)

-le (declinable)

1. that (distal demonstrative adjective)

• hii
• hiyo

From Old Swedish lēia, lea, from Old Norse hlæja (“to laugh”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną.

• IPA^(key): /leː/

• Audio:

  Duration: 1 second.0:01

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eː

le (present ler, preterite log, supine lett, imperative le)

1. to smile

   Hon log brett

   She smiled broadly

   Hon log sarkastiskt

   She smiled sarcastically

   1. to grin (when more or less interchangeable with smile – for example of a more "genuine" or "beautiful" grin – compare flina and flin) quotations ▼
      • 1996, Drängarna [The Farmhands], “Kung över ängarna [King of [over] the Meadows]”, in Fint vettö [vettu] [Nice Y'know]‎^[22]:

        Jag lägger mig i gräset ner. Ligger still och bara ler. Slumrar till och snarkar tyst. Drömmer om en kvinnas byst. Då ser jag nån som emot mig går, liderlig med utsläppt hår. Hon är vacker som en dag. I samma stund så vaknar jag. Svär [bit hard to make out the S] ett tag men tänker sen: Hon kommer nog till mig inatt igen. Ännu lyser solen stark i skog och mark.

        I lie down in the grass ["Jag lägger mig ner i gräset" is the usual word order. Ner (“down”) can be skipped]. [I] lie still and just grin [or smile]. [I] doze off and snore quietly. [I] dream of a woman's bosom. Then I see someone walking towards me ["Då ser jag nån som går emot mig" is the usual word order], lustful [in an unrestrained manner – old-fashioned – often used to imply "lecherous," but also more generally] with her hair let down [with out-released hair]. She is pretty as a picture ["beautiful as a day" – idiom]. At that moment [in the same moment] I wake up. [I] swear for a bit but then [I] think: She will probably come to me tonight again ["Igen inatt" is a more common word order in Swedish as well]. The sun still shines bright ["yet shines (V2 word order) the sun strong" – could be translated as "still the sun shines bright" to match, but sounds less awkward in Swedish] in woods and fields ["forest and (wild) land" – idiomatic]. [Could also be put in the present continuous. Matches the intuition in Swedish with the [I]s. See the usage notes for -r.]

      Han log från ena örat till det andra

      He was grinning from ear to ear

2. (obsolete) to laugh synonym ▲

   Synonym: skratta

• småle

• leende
• löje

• dra på smilbanden
• flina
• smila
• småle

• le in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• le in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• e.l., el, el.

• l'

le m pl or f pl

1. the

le

1. from

• Lesley Fast (1990), Tungak Grammar Essentials‎^[23], Ukarumpa: Summer Institute of Linguistics, page 33

le

1. The name of the Latin-script letter L/l.

• (Latin-script letter names) harf; a, be, ce, çe, de, e, fe, ge, yumuşak ge, he, ı, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, ö, pe, re, se, şe, te, u, ü, ve, ye, ze

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [lɛ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [lɛ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [lɛ˧˧]

From Proto-Vietic *k-lɛː (“bamboo”). Doublet of tre.

(classifier cây) le

1. a plant in the rice family, which grows in forests and has a shape similar to bamboo

(classifier con) le • (𪅆) (phonemic reduplicative le le)

1. (obsolete) lesser whistling duck quotations ▼
   • Nam Giao cổ kim lý hạng ca dao chú giải 南交古金里巷歌謠註解 ("Old and new folk-ballads from the hamlets and alleys in Nanjiao, annotated and explained"), 151a

     𡥵𪅆奴𣵰𡥵𪂮奴𱝩

     Con le nó lặn; con cò nó bay.

     The lesser whistling duck dives; the stork flies.

le

1. (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) alternative form of lè (“to loll (tongue); to put out”)

le

1. (rare) alternative form of lè (“very”)

le

1. (archaic) but; however

• song le

• IPA^(key): /leː/
• Rhymes: -eː

le

1. soft mutation of lle

le

1. (South Wales, colloquial) where

   Le ma'r tŷ bach?

   Where's the loo?

• ble
• (North Wales, colloquial) lle

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): [lé]

lé

1. these; class 4 proximal demonstrative.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): [lé]

lé

1. this; class 9 proximal demonstrative.

• (low-tone): IPA^(key): /lè/
• (mid-tone): IPA^(key): /lē/
• (high-tone): IPA^(key): /lé/

lè

1. (auxiliary, defective) to be able, can, to be possible

   Ó lè gbọ́ Yorùbá. ― She can understand Yoruba.

le

1. to be hard in texture, to be difficult

   Iṣẹ́ náà le bí ojú ẹja. ― The work is as hard as a fish's eye.

2. (idiomatic) to be healthy, to be in good health synonym ▲

   Synonym: yá

   ṣe ará le o? ― Are you in good health?

ExpandYoruba varieties and languages: le (“to be difficult, hard”)

le

1. to have a strong taste

   Ọtí yìí le. ― This beer is strong.

• ale
• lekó

le

1. to have an erection (of the penis)

lé

1. (transitive) to exceed in number
2. to yield interest

• èlé (“interest”)

lé

1. (intransitive) to appear distinctly

• Alébíoṣù (“A Yoruba nickname meaning, "One that appears very distinctly like the moon."”)
• léfòó

lé

1. on, on top of, after

   Wọ́n bí Àlàbá lé Ìdòwú. ― Alaba was born right after Idowu.

When a word is homophonous with the verb 'lé'; it always occurs in a non-V1 position.

• gbẹ́kẹ̀lé (“to trust”)

lé

1. (transitive) to pursue, to chase

   Wọ́n lé e nílèékulèé, òun náà sàsàákúsàá. ― They pursued him relentlessly, and he also ran relentlessly.

• ìlé

lé

1. (transitive) to become swollen synonyms ▲

   Synonyms: ré, wú

• ìlé

le

1. and

• http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2013/zouphonologyfinal.pdf

• IPA^(key): /ˈlé/

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

le

1. these; class 4 proximal demonstrative.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

le

1. this; class 9 proximal demonstrative.

• C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972), “le”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “le (2)”