Obs. Forms: α. sing. 1 léod, 3–5 leode, lede, 3 ledd, 4 leude, lued, lud(e, 4–6 led, 5–6 Sc. leid, 5 leyde, 7 leed. β. pl. 1, 3 leode, 3 leoden, 3–5 ledes, 3–6 ledis, 4–6 le(e)de, 4 leodes, le(u)dez, ludes, -us, leedes, led, Sc. lide, 4–5 Sc. ledys, 5–6 Sc. leid, 6 Sc. laidis. [Repr. three different but closely related OE. words: (1) OE. léod fem., nation, people; not found elsewhere in Teut. as fem., but corresponding in sense with the masc. sb. OHG. liut (MHG. liut, also neut.), MDu. liet, ON. lýð-r people (whence ME. LITH followers). (2) OE. léode, léoda, Northumb. líoda, pl., men, people = OS. liudi (MDu. liede, Du. lieden), OHG. liuti (MHG. liute, mod.G. leute), ON. lýðir. (3) OE. léod str. masc., man (occurring only as a poetical word for ‘king,’ and in the compounds burhléod (-líod) burgher, landléod inhabitant); not found in the other Teut. langs. Cognates outside Teut. are OSl. ljudŭ masc. sing., people, nation, pl. ljudije people, folks, Lettish laudis fem. sing., people.
The relation between the Teut. words is uncertain, but the Slavo-Lettic cognates suggest that the OTeut. type was a collective sing. *leuđi-s masc., people, the plural of which had naturally much the same sense (cf. folk, folks). The OE. masc. sing., with the sense ‘man,’ seems to have been evolved from the plural meaning ‘people.’ The fem. gender of the OE. léod people, and the form léoda (líoda) in the pl. instead of léode, seem to be due to the influence of the synonymous þéod fem.
The Teut. word is commonly regarded as from the OAryan root *leudh-, whence Goth. liudan, OS. liodan, OE. léodan, to grow, spring (from).]
1. A people, nation, race. Also, persons collectively, ‘people.’
Beowulf, 2732 (Gr.). Ic ðas leode heold fiftiʓ wintra.
971. Blickl. Hom., 201. Beneuentius & Sepontanus hatton, þa twa leode.
c. 1200. Ormin, 7166. Forr ȝiff þe riche mann iss braþ, & grimme … Hiss lede þatt iss unnderr himm Himm dredeþþ.
a. 1250. Prov. Ælfred, 27, in O. E. Misc. Þvs queþ Alured … wolde ye mi leode lusten eure louerde.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 4246. Men war þar o sarzin lede. Ibid., 8225. All naciun and lede aght vr lauerd for to drede.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. VI. 38. Ther nis no laborer in this leod that he loueth more.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., V. xiii. 5800. Fra hys kyn till ane wncouth lede.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, X. 227. For thai me hayt mar na Sotheroun leid.
b. pl. In the alliterative phrase land and lede, i.e., land and vassals or subjects.
a. 1000. Andreas, 1321 (Gr.). Hafast nu þe anum eall ʓetihhad land & leode.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 86. And gaue him bothe land and lede To help his childer after his day.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XV. 520. When Constantyn … holykirke dowed With londes and ledes lordeshipes and rentes.
c. 1430. Syr Tryam., 1269. Y make the myn heyre Of londe and of lede.
c. 1475[?]. Sqr. lowe Degre, 135. I wyll forsake both land and lede, And become an hermyte.
15[?]. Merch. & Son, in Hazl., E. P. P., I. 133. He was a grete tenement man, and ryche of londe and lede.
c. Phrases. All lede, all people, all the world, everybody. In lede, among people, in the land, on earth.
a. 1275. Prov. Ælfred, 334, in O. E. Misc. Hit is said in lede cold red is quene red.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 5490. Quen he went al lediss wai. Ibid., 15480. Ha þou Iudas, traitur, thef, felunest in lede. Ibid., 23040. At þis dome. sal al lede in four be delt.
c. 1320. Sir Tristr., 1677. Þai loued al in lide.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 5345. Hade he lyuyt in lede, he hade ben lorde here.
c. 1450. Holland, Howlat, 288. The trewe Turtour and traist … Wrait thir letteris at lenth, lelest in leid.
c. 1460. Emare, 702. He thowghth … That she was non erdyly wyght; He saw never non shuch yn leede.
2. pl. Persons collectively, ‘people’; the people subject to a lord or sovereign; one’s own people, countrymen.
Beowulf, 260 (Gr.). We synt ʓumcynnes ʓeata leode.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Luke xix. 14. Ða hatedon hine his leode … & cwædon; nyllað þæt þes ofer us rixie.
c. 1205. Lay., 1784. Liððen þa leoden þat heo on londe comen.
a. 1310. in Wright, Lyric P., xii. 42. Ȝef y may betere beode, To mi latere leode.
1340–70. Alex. & Dind., 141. As was þe langage of þe lond wiþ ludus of inde.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 390. Whan þe loueli ludes seie here lord come.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XVI. 306. Many man hath hus Ioye here for alle here wel dedes, And lordes and ladyes ben callid for leodes that thay haue.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 9056. And of his ledis ben lost mony lell hundrith.
3. sing. A man, person; esp. one of the ‘men’ or subjects of a king or chief; a subject. Also poet. in OE., a king.
Beowulf, 341 (Gr.). Wlanc Wedera leod word æfter spræc.
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1195. Þe lede lay lurked a ful longe quyle.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 614. Lenge a lyttel with þy lede I loȝly biseche.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. VI. 6. Thei a leod metten, Apparayled as a palmere.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 6441. For all the grefe of þo Grekes, & þe grete þronge, Was no led might hym let.
c. 1430. Hymns Virg., 106. I warne vche leod þat liueþ in londe.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., iii. 48. Euery liffyng leyde, Most party day and nyght.
1508. Dunbar, Tua Mariit Wemen, 441. Se ȝe nought, allace! Ȝone lustlese led so lelely scho luffit hir husband.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot. (1858), I. 543. Ȝouthheid … at na leid experience will leir.
a. 1650. Earle Westmorland, 10, in Furnivall, Percy Folio, I. 318. A noble Leed of high degree.
b. As a form of address.
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 675. Bi Kryst, hit is scaþe, þat þou, leude, schal be lost þat art of lyf noble!
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 541. Þe lorde … Called to þe reue ‘lede pay þe meyny.’
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. I. 139. To litel latyn thou lernedest Lede in thi ȝouthe.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, VIII. 1639. And thus he wrait … To Wilȝam Wallace as a conquerour. ‘O lowit leid, with worschip wys and wicht; Thow werray help [etc.].
4. attrib. and Comb., as lede folk, kemp, king, knight, shame, spel, thegn; lede bishop, a bishop of a district (hence -bishopric); lede-quide, national language; lede-rune, ? an incantation; also, ? a mysterious doctrine.
a. 1000. O. E. Chron., an. 971 (Cotton MS.). Se wæs ærest to Dorke ceastre to *leod bisceope ʓehalʓod.
a. 1300[?]. Shires Eng., in O. E. Misc., 145. Oþe þe leod biscopryche on Rouecestre.
c. 1325. Chron. Eng., 322, in Ritson, Metr. Rom., II. 283. Ant twenty-sevyn he made also Leod bischopes thereto.
c. 1205. Lay., 6627. He fræinede þis *leod-folc æfter heore kineleouerde. Ibid., 6025. Werren on alche legiun þus feole *leod-kempen.
Beowulf, 54 (Gr.). Beowulf Scyldinʓa leof *leodcyninʓ.
c. 1205. Lay., 867. Ich habbe þesne leod king ileid in mine benden. Ibid., 7459. And þene king lærde al þas *leod-cnihtes. Ibid., 2914. Kaer Leir … þa we an ure *leod-quide Leirchestre clepiað.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 138. Wiþ ælcre yfelre *leodrunan … ʓewrit writ him þis ʓreciscum stafum.
c. 1205. Lay., 9121. Her beoð to þisse londe icumen seolcuðe leod-ronen. Ibid., 15488. Heo gunnen loten weorpen mid heore leod-runen. Ibid., 26297. Nu is hit muchel *leod-scome ȝif hit scal þus a-ligge. Ibid., 15757. He cuðe tellen of ælche *leod-spelle. Ibid., 6674. He … lette laðien him to al his *leod-þeines.
