leak

Where does the word "leak" come from? It comes from Old Norse leka, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Leak’s story begins in Old Norse: leka meant “to drip, to let escape.” The sense 'disclose secrets' dates from the 1800s. It reached English by 1300s as leak. Settled as the English word for liquid escaping through an unwanted opening. Today, leak means the unwanted escape of liquid or gas through a crack or hole, or disclosed secret information.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval leka "to drip, to let escape", the sense 'disclose secrets' dates from the 1800s.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s leak "liquid or gas escaping through an unwanted opening", settled as the English word for liquid escaping through an unwanted opening.