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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

English

leave

/ˈliːv/
To cause or allow (something) to remain as available; to refrain from taking (something) away; to stop short of consuming or otherwise depleting (something) entirely.

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    • derived
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    Origin

    Etymology 1

    From Middle English leven, from Old English lǣfan (“to leave”), from Proto-West Germanic *laibijan, from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (“to let stay, leave”), causative of *lībaną (“to stay, remain”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick; fat”).

    Cognate with Old Frisian lēva (“to leave”), dialectal Dutch loven (“to have left over, save, keep”), Old Saxon lēvian, Old High German leiban (“to leave”), Old Norse leifa (“to leave over”) (whence Icelandic leifa (“to leave food uneaten”), Swedish leva (“to leave”)), lifna (“to be left”) (whence Danish levne). More at lave, belive.

    The noun is attested since the 19th century, with earliest references to billiards.

    Etymology 2

    From Middle English leve, from Old English lēaf (“permission, privilege”), from Proto-Germanic *laubō, *laubą (“permission, privilege, favour, worth”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“to love, hold dear”). Cognate with obsolete German Laube (“permission”), Swedish lov (“permission”), Icelandic leyfi (“permission”). Related to Dutch verlof, German Urlaub, Erlaubnis, Verlaub. See also love.

    Etymology 3

    From Middle English leven, from Old English līefan (“to allow, grant, concede; believe, trust, confide in”), from Proto-West Germanic *laubijan, from Proto-Germanic *laubijaną (“to allow, praise”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“to love, hold dear”). Cognate with German erlauben (“to allow”), German glauben (“to believe”), Icelandic leyfa (“to allow”).

    Etymology 4

    From Middle English leven, from lef (“leaf”). More at leaf.

    Etymology 5

    From French lever. Compare levy. Compare also Middle English leve, a variant of levy that may have been monosyllabic.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • rootProto-Indo-European*leyp- “leave, remain”
    • inheritedMiddle Englishleven
      • inheritedOld Englishlǣfan “to leave”
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*laibijan
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*laibijaną “to let stay, leave”
      • inheritedOld Englishlīefan “to allow, grant, concede; believe, trust, confide in”
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*laubijan
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*laubijaną “to allow, praise”
    • rootProto-Indo-European*lewbʰ- “love, care, desire”
    • inheritedMiddle Englishleve
      • inheritedOld Englishlēaf “permission, privilege”
        • inheritedProto-Germanic*laubō
    • derivedFrenchlever “to raise”

    Related: Old Frisian lēva, Dutch loven, Old Saxon lēvian, Old High German leiban, Old Norse leifa, Icelandic leifa, Swedish leva, Danish levne, German Laube, Swedish lov, Icelandic leyfi, Dutch verlof, German Urlaub,Erlaubnis,Verlaub, German erlauben, German glauben, Icelandic leyfa, Middle English leve

    Meanings

    verb
    1. To cause or allow (something) to remain as available; to refrain from taking (something) away; to stop short of consuming or otherwise depleting (something) entirely.
    2. To cause, to result in.
    3. To put; to place; to deposit; to deliver, with a sense of withdrawing oneself.
    4. To let be or do without interference.
    5. To depart from; to end one's connection or affiliation with.
    6. To end one's membership in (a group); to terminate one's affiliation with (an organization); to stop participating in (a project).
    noun
    1. The action of the batsman not attempting to play at the ball.
    2. The arrangement of balls in play that remains after a shot is made (which determines whether the next shooter — who may be either the same player, or an opponent — has good options, or only poor ones).
    3. The tiles remaining on a player's rack after his or her turn.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: leave