leid

Leid is a term that appears in several Germanic languages, most notably in German and Dutch, with different grammatical roles in each.

In German, das Leid means suffering, pain, or distress. It is used both in ordinary speech and in literary or religious contexts to denote personal misfortune or the suffering of groups. A common expression is Es tut mir leid, literally “it does sorrow to me,” which is used to apologize. The concept of Leid is also encountered in discussions of ethics, theology, and philosophy, where human suffering or collective affliction is analyzed or reflected upon, for example in phrases like das Leid der Menschheit (the suffering of humanity).

In Dutch, the form leid occurs as a present-tense verb form of leiden (to lead). Specifically, ik leid means “I lead,” while jij leidt and hij leidt are the second and third person singular forms. The related noun for suffering is leed (with a double e), pronounced similarly but written differently, and it means “suffering” or “distress.” The Dutch forms can thus be a source of confusion for learners, because nearby spellings and related words involve different meanings and pronunciations. The verb and noun have distinct uses, and the city name Leiden in the Netherlands is etymologically unrelated but often confused by non-native speakers.

See also: Leiden (the Dutch city), Lied (the German word for song), and Lijden (the Dutch verb meaning to suffer).