leprechaun

leprechaun

English

Alternative forms

• lepracaun

Etymology

From Irish leipreachán, luprachán, from Middle Irish luchrupán, from Old Irish luchorpán. See also Irish lucharachán.

The word's further etymology is disputed; it is traditionally explained as a compound containing lú (“small”, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-) + corp (“body”, which is from Latin corpus).[1] However, an alternative suggestion is that it is a derivative of Latin Lupercī (“priests of Lupercus”), who were misinterpreted as an antediluvian species by medieval Irish scholars.[2]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛpɹəkɔːn/

• Audio (southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛprəˌkɔn/, /ˈlɛprəˌkɑn/

Noun

leprechaun (plural leprechauns)

1. (Irish folklore) One of a race of elves that can reveal hidden treasure to those who catch them.
   • 1888, William Allingham, “The Lepracaun; or Fairy Shoemaker”, in William Butler Yeats, editor, Irish Fairy and Folk Tales, page 86–87:

     Do you not catch the tiny clamour, / Busy click of an elfin hammer, / Voice of the leprechaun singing shrill, / As he merrily plies his trade?

Derived terms

• leprechaunesque
• leprechauness
• leprechaunic
• leprechaunish
• leprechaunism
• leprechaunology, leprechology
• leprechauny

 

Translations

one of a race of Irish elves

Chinese: Mandarin: (no exact term exists) （愛爾蘭民間傳說裡的）短妖精／（爱尔兰民间传说里的）短妖精 ([Àiěrlán mínjiān chuánshuō lǐ de] duǎn yāojing) Czech: leprikón m, irský skřítek m Esperanto: leprekono Estonian: härjapõlvlane Finnish: leprekauni French: leprechaun (fr) m, lutin irlandais m, farfadet irlandais m Georgian: ლეპრეკონი (leṗreḳoni) German: Leprechaun m Irish: leipreachán m, luprachán m, lucharachán (ga) m, lucharbán (ga) m, lucharpán (ga) m, luchargán (ga) m, luchorpán m, luchormán m, luchramán (ga) m Middle Irish: luchrupán m, luchorpán m Old Irish: luchorpán m Italian: leprechaun m, leprecano m, lepricauno m, leprecauno m, gnomo irlandese m, folletto irlandese m Japanese: レプラコーン (repurakōn) Korean: 레프러콘 (repeureokon) Lithuanian: leprekonas m Macedonian: ле́прекон m (léprekon) Manx: please add this translation if you can Navajo: beʼádíláhí niʼ Polish: leprechaun (pl) m, irlandzki skrzat m Portuguese: duende irlandês m Russian: лепреко́н (ru) m (leprekón) Scottish Gaelic: lucharban m Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: и̑рскӣ вилѐња̄к m Roman: ȋrskī vilènjāk m Spanish: duende irlandés m Welsh: leprecon m

References

1. “leprechaun, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1902.
2. Jacopo Bisagni (2012), “Leprechaun: A New Etymology”, in Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies, volume 64, pages 46-84

Further reading

• leprechaun on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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Italian

Alternative forms

• leprecano, lepricauno, leprecauno (adapted forms)

Etymology

Borrowed from English leprechaun, from Irish leipreachán, luprachán, from Middle Irish luchrupán, from Old Irish luchorpán, of disputed etymology.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛ.pre.kon/, /ˈlɛ.pri.kon/
• Rhymes: -ɛprekon, -ɛprikon

Noun

leprechaun m (invariable)

1. (Irish folklore) leprechaun

   Synonyms: gnomo irlandese, folletto irlandese

Derived terms

• leprechaunismo