lees

American  

[leez] / liz /

plural noun

1. the insoluble matter that settles from a liquid, especially from wine; sediment; dreg.

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lees British  

/ liːz /

plural noun

1. the sediment from an alcoholic drink

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Etymology

Origin of lees

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lie, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin lia, probably from unattested Gaulish lig(j)a; compare Old Irish lige “bed,” akin to Old English gelege “bed”; see lie ²

Example Sentences

They had just dislodged Fred Holland and Walter Lees, who added 145 at The Oval in 1906, from the record books when Lawes perished.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Kelly Lees, who has also waived her right to anonymity, was a scared and vulnerable 11-year-old when she arrived at Skircoat Lodge in 1993.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026

Bury said assistant manager Tim Lees would take charge of the side on an interim basis while the board undertakes "a wider review of club operations".

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2025

His father, a jazz bassist who played with Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and members of the 1960s folk movement, had to go where the music took him, and it took the Lees to New York.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025

Red-faced, like all the Lees, white-bearded, dressed in an old gray coat and a gray felt hat, without insignia, so that he is mistaken sometimes for an elderly major of dignity.

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara