Learn Romanian › leu
leu
lion /ˈle.u/
noun#1185 most common
Also: leu (unit of Romanian currency), Leo (zodiac sign, capitalized)
Example sentences
Leul este un animal mare.
The lion is a large animal.
Acest suc costă un leu.
This juice costs one leu.
Copiii au văzut un leu la grădina zoologică.
The children saw a lion at the zoo.
Am plătit cinci lei pentru pâine.
I paid five lei for bread.
Leul este considerat regele junglei, deși trăiește în savană.
The lion is considered the king of the jungle, though it lives in the savanna.
Bătrânul din poveste se adresa leului cu respect, spunând: «Leule, ai milă de noi!»
The old man in the story addressed the lion with respect, saying, 'Lion, have mercy on us!'
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | leu | lei |
| Genitive | leului | leilor |
| Accusative | leu | lei |
| Vocative | leule | leilor |
Word family
leoaicălioness
leuțlion cub, little lion
leoninleonine, lion-like
LeuLeo, the zodiac sign
Etymology
Leu comes from Latin leo, leonem, meaning lion, the same source that gave French lion, Italian leone, and Spanish león. Romanian kept the word through direct descent from spoken Latin, unlike English, which borrowed lion from French centuries later. The word also names Romania's currency: nineteenth century Romanian coins were modeled on the Dutch leeuwendaalder, a silver coin stamped with a lion, and the new currency inherited the animal's name.
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Start free