lea

¹

[ lee, ley ]

noun

1. a tract of open ground, especially grassland; meadow.
2. land used for a few years for pasture or for growing hay, then plowed over and replaced by another crop.
3. a crop of hay on tillable land.

adjective

1. untilled; fallow.

lea

²

[ lee ]

noun

1. a measure of yarn of varying quantity, for wool usually 80 yards (73 meters), cotton and silk 120 yards (110 meters), linen 300 yards (274 meters).
2. Textiles.
   1. a unit length used to ascertain the linear density of yarns.
   2. a count or number representing units of linear measure per pound in linen or cotton yarn:

      a 20-lea yarn.

Lea

³

[ lee lee-uh ]

noun

1. Homer, 1876–1912, U.S. soldier and author: adviser 1911–12 to Sun Yat-sen in China.
2. a female given name, form of Leah or Lee.

lea.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. league.
2. leather.

lea

¹

/ liː /

noun

1. poetic.
   a meadow or field
2. land that has been sown with grass seed

LEA

²

abbreviation for

1. Local Education Authority

lea

³

/ liː /

noun

1. a unit for measuring lengths of yarn, usually taken as 80 yards for wool, 120 yards for cotton and silk, and 300 yards for linen
2. a measure of yarn expressed as the length per unit weight, usually the number of leas per pound

Word History and Origins

Origin of lea¹

before 900; Middle English lege, lei, Old English lēah; cognate with Old High German lōh, dialectal Dutch loo (as in Waterloo ), Latin lūcus

Origin of lea²

1350–1400; perhaps back formation from Middle English lese, variant of leash

Word History and Origins

Origin of lea¹

Old English lēah; related to German dialect loh thicket

Origin of lea²

C14: of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Glee actress Lea Michele was seemingly dissed by Jessica Lange on the red carpet.

From The Daily Beast

And so the problem seems to be that Lea Michele and Anne Hathaway are too good.

From The Daily Beast

Reportedly, he wants to star Lea Michele in a production based on another ex-Streisand vehicle, Funny Girl.

From The Daily Beast

Actresses, mainly: Julianne Hough, Katharine McPhee, Lea Michele.

From The Daily Beast

She talks to Lea Carpenter about why fiction can tell this story so powerfully.

From The Daily Beast

The green lea was speckled as thickly with them as a canvas by Van Alsloot or Sallaert with burghers.

From Project Gutenberg

This day a year ago Sir Richard Lea borrowed four hundred pounds from me.

From Project Gutenberg

By reference to the descriptions of Mr. Barnes and Mr. Lea, recited above, the number will be seen to have exceeded this estimate.

From Project Gutenberg

This species, Mr. Lea remarks, has a great geographical extension.

From Project Gutenberg

Here is my widow friend who after working fifteen hours daily for years was dragged from the Lea.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• farmland
• garden
• grassland
• green
• ground
• meadow
• pasture
• range
• terrain
• territory