leaky

adj

Etymology: Likely a normalisation ( + -y) of earlier leak, leake, leke (“leaky”, adjective), from Middle English leke (“leaky”), from Old English hlec, *lec (“having cracks or rents; leaky”), from Proto-Germanic *lekaz (“leaking; leaky”). By surface analysis, leak + -y. Cognate with Scots lek, leck (“leaky”), Saterland Frisian läk (“leaky”), Dutch lek (“leaky”), German Low German leck (“leaky”), German leck (“leaky”), Swedish läck (“leaky”), Icelandic lekur (“leaky”).

1. Having leaks; not fully sealed.

   “The leaky bucket dripped only one drop at a time, but by the time I got back to the house it was half empty.”

   “The ceiling was so leaky that someone had to fix it.”

2. Tending to leak secrets or information.

   “The spooks' argument against this is that the secret service would become leaky and demoralised […]”