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90s Slang You Should Know

lease1

[lees] /lis/
noun
1.
a contract renting land, buildings, etc., to another; a contract or instrument conveying property to another for a specified period or for a period determinable at the will of either lessor or lessee in consideration of rent or other compensation.
2.
the property leased.
3.
the period of time for which a lease is made:
a five-year lease.
verb (used with object), leased, leasing.
4.
to grant the temporary possession or use of (lands, tenements, etc.) to another, usually for compensation at a fixed rate; let:
She plans to lease her apartment to a friend.
5.
to take or hold by lease:
He leased the farm from the sheriff.
verb (used without object), leased, leasing.
6.
to grant a lease; let or rent:
to lease at a lower rental.
Idioms
7.
a new lease on life, a chance to improve one's situation or to live longer or more happily:
Plastic surgery gave him a new lease on life.
Origin of lease1
Middle English
Anglo-French
1350-1400
1350-1400; Middle English les < Anglo-French (equivalent to Old French lais, French legs legacy), noun derivative of lesser to lease, literally, let go (equivalent to Old French laissier) < Latin laxāre to release, let go. See lax
Related forms
leasable, adjective
leaseless, adjective
leaser, noun
unleasable, adjective
unleased, adjective
well-leased, adjective
Synonyms
5. rent, charter, hire.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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British Dictionary definitions for unleasable

lease1

/liːs/
noun
1.
a contract by which property is conveyed to a person for a specified period, usually for rent
2.
the instrument by which such property is conveyed
3.
the period of time for which it is conveyed
4.
a prospect of renewed health, happiness, etc: a new lease of life
verb (transitive)
5.
to grant possession of (land, buildings, etc) by lease
6.
to take a lease of (property); hold under a lease
Derived Forms
leasable, adjective
leaser, noun
Word Origin
C15: via Anglo-French from Old French lais (n), from laissier to let go, from Latin laxāre to loosen

lease2

/liːz/
noun
1.
(dialect) open pasture or common
Word Origin
Old English lǣs; perhaps related to Old Norse lāth property
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for unleasable

lease

v.

late 15c., "to take a lease," from Anglo-French lesser, Old French laissier "to let, leave" (see lease (n.). Related: Leased; leasing. Lessor, lessee in contract language preserves the Anglo-French form.

lease

n.

late 14c., "legal contract conveying property, usually for a fixed period of time and with a fixed compensation," from Anglo-French les (late 13c.), from lesser "to let, let go," from Old French laissier "to let, allow, permit; bequeath, leave," from Latin laxare "loosen, open, make wide," from laxus "loose" (see lax). Modern French equivalent legs is altered by erroneous derivation from Latin legatum "bequest, legacy."

v.

late 15c., "to take a lease," from Anglo-French lesser, Old French laissier "to let, leave" (see lease (n.). Related: Leased; leasing. Lessor, lessee in contract language preserves the Anglo-French form.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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unleasable in Culture

lease definition


A contract that grants possession of property for a specified period of time in return for some kind of compensation.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Idioms and Phrases with unleasable

lease

see: new lease on life
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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