lek1
/lɛk
/noun
The basic monetary unit of Albania, equal to 100 qindarkas.
Origin
Albanian.
Rhymes
lek2
/lɛk/noun
A patch of ground used for communal display in the breeding season by the males of certain birds and mammals, especially black grouse.Groups of males form leks, or display grounds in the tundra breeding areas....
- Males gather on a communal breeding ground, or lek, to display for females.
- Males utilize bright mating colorations when displaying on the lek and contribute only genes to their progeny.
verb [no object] (usually as noun lekking)
Take part in a communal display on a lek: antelopes mate in lekking grounds...
- If this is so, then a female mating with a lekking male may be avoiding the less healthy males of the population by default.
- Hermits usually form leks and congregate on traditional lekking grounds, where females visit to choose a mate.
- Such simultaneous sampling may be common in lekking and chorusing species, which have been the subjects of many studies of sexual selection.
Origin
Late 19th century: perhaps from Swedish leka 'to play'.