leak, leke

i. & t. [Icel. lek a =to drip, to leak; cogn. with Sw. läcka; Dan. lække; Dut. lekken; Ger. lech an =to leak; A. S. leccan to wet, to moisten.] IMG:content-0441.png:[blocks in formation] "To accumulate their misfortunes, they were soon obliged to cut away their bowsprit, to diminish, if po ible, leakage at the head." -Anson: Voyage round the World , bk. i., ch. iii. 2. The quantity of a liquid or fluid which escapes by a leak. II. Comm.: An allowance, at a certain rate per cent. made for lo or waste by the leaking of casks. .