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Another origin of leech

1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂leg-‘to care for’disputed
2. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*leigis‘healer’uncertain
3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lēkiz‘healing’uncertain
4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lēkijaz‘doctor’uncertain
5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*lākī‘doctor, physician’uncertain
6. Old Englishc. 450–1150lǣċe‘doctor, physician’uncertain
7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500leche‘physician’uncertain
8. Englishtodayleech

From Middle English leche (‘physician’), from Old English lǣċe (‘doctor, physician’), from Proto-West Germanic *lākī, from Proto-Germanic *lēkijaz (‘doctor’), of disputed origin, but usually thought to be connected with Proto-Celtic (compare Old Irish líaig (‘doctor, physician’)); perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (‘to collect, gather’).1disputed Scholars disagree here; the competing view is quoted as the source gives it. Slavic words such as Serbo-Croatian ljèkār, Polish lekarz (‘physician, doctor’) are usually considered to be borrowings from Germanic.

Another origin of leech

1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*līkąreconstructed
2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*līk‘body’reconstructed
3. Old Norsec. 800–1350lík‘leechline’
4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lek‘Garlic’
5. Englishtodayleech