leprechaun
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leprechaun
- /ˈlɛpɹəkɔːn/ UK
- /ˈlɛpɹəˌkɔn/ US
- /ˈlɛpɹəˌkɑn/ US
Where it comes from
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). 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. Suffix may have been assimilated to Irish -achán (“diminutive”), compare derivation of clurichaun.
noun leprechauns · lepracaun · leprocaun · lurikeen
- A type of diminutive, solitary fairy or sprite, traditionally depicted as a small, bearded man wearing a green coat and hat, often found repairing a single shoe; they typically possess hidden treasure, such as a pot of gold hidden at the end of a rainbow, and can be forced to reveal its location if captured. So they wint, an' Tom held the Leprechaun fast in his hand, an' nivir tuk his eyes frum aff uv him, though they had to crass hidges an' ditches, an' a cruked bit uv a bog (fur the Leprechaun seemed, out o' pure mischief, to pick out the hardest and most conthrairy way), till at last they come to a g
- An Irish person.
Translations
Every language
noun one of a race of Irish elves
| Español | duende irlandés, leprechaun |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 레프러콘 repeureokon |
| 日本語 | レプラコーン repurakōn |
| 中文 | （愛爾蘭民間傳說裡的）短妖精 /（爱尔兰民间传说里的）短妖精 |
| Português | duende irlandês, leprechaun |
| Français | leprechaun, lutin irlandais, farfadet irlandais, lépricone |
| Deutsch | Leprechaun |
| Italiano | leprecauno, leprechaun |
| Русский | лепреко́н leprekón |
| العربية | لِيبْرِيكَان lēbrīkān |
Talk about this word "leprechaun." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/leprechaun. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. leprechaun. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/leprechaun "leprechaun." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/leprechaun.Cite this
@misc{leprechaun_2026,
title = {leprechaun},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/leprechaun},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
