leal

Leal is a word used in Portuguese and Spanish with the sense of loyal, faithful, or steadfast. As an adjective, it describes fidelity to a person, group, or principle and is common in everyday speech—examples include "amigo leal" (loyal friend) or "ser leal" (to be loyal). In historical or literary contexts, leal can carry a sense of steadfast obligation or allegiance.

Leal originates in Latin, via medieval Romance forms, from a root related to law or proper conduct. It is cognate with the English loyal and with other Romance forms such as Spanish leal and Portuguese leal. The semantic development shifted from "lawful, proper" to "faithful, devoted" in the medieval period.

Usage: In contemporary Iberian languages, leal is used primarily as an adjective. The related noun "lealtad" or "lealdad" means loyalty or fidelity. The word also appears in compound expressions and traditional contexts in literature and heraldry.

Surname and place names: Leal is a surname in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions and can occur as a toponym or family name in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula.

See also: Leal may refer to other uses in disambiguation contexts, including people, places, or cultural works bearing the name.