Leak vs. Leek

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Grammarist

A leak is a crack or hole in a container through which the contents escape. A leak is an accident. Leak may also refer to proprietary information that has been released into the public domain. Leak may be used literally or figuratively and as a noun or a verb. Related words are leaks, leaked, leaking, leaky, leaker. Leak comes from the Middle Dutch word leken meaning to drip, to leak, and the Old English word leccan which means to moisten.

A leek is a vegetable related to the onion, a leek looks somewhat like a large green onion. Leek comes from the Old English words læc and leac, meaning onion or garlic.

Examples

The owner of a restaurant near Stavis Seafoods said workers at the South Boston warehouse are heartbroken over the death of a colleague from an ammonia leak inside the building Wednesday night. (The Boston Globe)

Los Angeles County health officials will begin air and surface tests inside 100 Porter Ranch homes on Friday to look for chemicals left over from the natural gas leak that spewed tens of thousands of metric tons of methane over neighborhoods for almost four months. (The Los Angeles Daily News)

According to reports, a well-known online leaker @OnLeaks suggested that the leak could be true but did not confirm the authenticity of the leaked image. (The Deccan Chronicle)

Another leak revealed that Brooklyn was not only a location in the game, but the first area players explore as part of a training mission, Eurogamer reported. (International Business Times)

Leeks are one of the few British greens available as we plunge into the so-called “hungry gap” between seasons, and bring with them a welcome freshness after all those earthily flavoured root veg. (The Guardian)

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