blackleg
noun, verb
blackleg is spelled B-L-A-C-K-L-E-G: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 136,649th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, blackleg means “A fatal cattle disease caused by the soil-borne bacterium Clostridium chauvoei; symptomatic anthrax” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of blackleg is blacklegs.
How many letters and syllables are in blackleg?
| Letters | 8: B-L-A-C-K-L-E-G |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 20 million words; the 136,649th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is blackleg?
Blackleg appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 136,649th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce blackleg?
- US
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-blackleg.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of blackleg
- blacklegs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- blacklegging participle, present
- blacklegged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does blackleg mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A fatal cattle disease caused by the soil-borne bacterium Clostridium chauvoei; symptomatic anthrax.
- 2
A disease of potato crops caused by pectolytic bacteria, characterized by blackening and decay of the lower stem portion.
- 3
A disease of brassicas caused by the fungus Leptosphaeria maculans
- 4
A person who cheats in a game; a cheater, especially a dishonest bookmaker.
They have no regard for respectability like yours – nothing between a baron and a blackleg.
- 5
A person who takes the place of striking workers.
verb
- 1
To continue working whilst fellow workers strike.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Blackleg in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense fatal cattle disease:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | charbon symptomatique |
| German | Schwarzbeinigkeit |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does blackleg come from?
From black + leg.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).