From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishleprechaunlep‧re‧chaun /ˈleprəkɔːn $ -kɑːn, -kɒːn/ noun [countable] RFan imaginary creature in the form of a little old man, in old Irish stories
Examples from the Corpus
leprechaun• No one had called her a leprechaun before.• One story is told of a man who saw a leprechaun bury a purse of gold in a field of ragwort.• Subscribers to the service adopt an electronic leprechaun and receive e-mails comprising gossip and tales from the motherland.• Interactivity: The sign promises luck should you rub the head of a certain fiberglass leprechaun.• Dada came in last, a frozen leprechaun he never wore an overcoat.• Oh, no, not with that aggravating, hot-tempered, sensuous little leprechaun.• Ken also played a man selling luminous leprechauns and a newspaper seller talking inconsequential nonsense to the proprietor of a coffee stall.Origin leprechaun (1600-1700) Irish Gaelic leipreachan, from Middle Irish luchorpan “small body”