Social outcast, or one suffering from leprosy. Easily made fun of, despite the fact that their limbs don't actually fall off. Rather, a numbness of the extremities leads to more likely trauma to digits and such. Therefore the famed reputation of lepers dropping fingers left right and center which, while good for jokes, isn't actually accurate.Sucks, eh?

Lep"er (?), n. [OE. lepre leprosy, F. lepre, L. leprae, lepra, fr. Gr. , fr. , scaly, fr. scale, to peel.]

A person affected with leprosy.

 

© Webster 1913.

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