lea

[ lee, ley ]

/ li, leɪ /

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See synonyms for lea on Thesaurus.com

noun

a tract of open ground, especially grassland; meadow.

land used for a few years for pasture or for growing hay, then plowed over and replaced by another crop.

a crop of hay on tillable land.

adjective

untilled; fallow.

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Also ley

[ley, lee] /leɪ, li/ .

Origin of lea

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

Words nearby lea

LDPE, LDR, L-driver, L.D.S., -le, lea, leach, leachate, leaching, leachy, Leacock

Definition for lea (2 of 4)

lea²

[ lee ]

/ li /

noun

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).

Textiles.

a unit length used to ascertain the linear density of yarns.
a count or number representing units of linear measure per pound in linen or cotton yarn: a 20-lea yarn.

Origin of lea

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

Definition for lea (3 of 4)

Lea

[ lee for 1; lee-uh for 2 ]

/ li for 1; ˈli ə for 2 /

noun

Homer, 1876–1912, U.S. soldier and author: adviser 1911–12 to Sun Yat-sen in China.

a female given name, form of Leah or Lee.

Definition for lea (4 of 4)

lea.

abbreviation

league.

leather.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for lea

Glee actress Lea Michele was seemingly dissed by Jessica Lange on the red carpet.
Why Does Everyone Hate Lea Michele?|Tim Teeman|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And so the problem seems to be that Lea Michele and Anne Hathaway are too good.
Why Does Everyone Hate Lea Michele?|Tim Teeman|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Reportedly, he wants to star Lea Michele in a production based on another ex-Streisand vehicle, Funny Girl.
‘The Normal Heart’ and Hope in the Battlefield of AIDS|Michael Musto|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Actresses, mainly: Julianne Hough, Katharine McPhee, Lea Michele.
How 'Billy on the Street' Star Billy Eichner Turned Screaming at Strangers Into Comedy Gold|Kevin Fallon|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She talks to Lea Carpenter about why fiction can tell this story so powerfully.
Susan Minot on Africa, Joseph Kony, and the Limits of Writing About Love|Lea Carpenter|February 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The green lea was speckled as thickly with them as a canvas by Van Alsloot or Sallaert with burghers.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles|Thomas Hardy
This day a year ago Sir Richard Lea borrowed four hundred pounds from me.
Dramatic Reader for Lower Grades|Florence Holbrook
By reference to the descriptions of Mr. Barnes and Mr. Lea, recited above, the number will be seen to have exceeded this estimate.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
This species, Mr. Lea remarks, has a great geographical extension.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
Here is my widow friend who after working fifteen hours daily for years was dragged from the Lea.
London's Underworld|Thomas Holmes

British Dictionary definitions for lea (1 of 3)

lea¹

/ (liː) /

noun

poetic a meadow or field

land that has been sown with grass seed

Word Origin for lea

Old English lēah; related to German dialect loh thicket

British Dictionary definitions for lea (2 of 3)

lea²

/ (liː) /

noun

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

a measure of yarn expressed as the length per unit weight, usually the number of leas per pound

Word Origin for lea

C14: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for lea (3 of 3)

LEA

abbreviation for (in Britain)

Local Education Authority

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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