lei

[ley, ley-ee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lei ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural leis.

(in the Hawaiian Islands) a wreath of flowers, leaves, etc., for the neck or head.

Origin of lei

Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1835–45

lei

[ley]

noun

plural of leu.

leu

[le-oo]

noun, plural lei [ley] /leɪ/.

a coin and monetary unit of Romania, equal to 100 bani. Abbreviation: L.

Also ley.

Origin of leu

1875–80; < Romanian: literally, lion, a designation based on Turkish arslanlι (arslan lion + -lι adj. suffix), name given to the Dutch rijksdaalder, which circulated in the later Ottoman Empire and bore the image of a lion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for lei

bouquet, garland, pot, wreath, vase, ringlet, festoon, circlet, crown, bay, band, loop, coronet, laurel, ring, chaplet, coronal, nosegay, posy, spray

Examples from the Web for lei

Contemporary Examples of lei

Lei Huazhen is a handsome woman and unusually tall for an inhabitant of Sichuan.
An Oral History of Mao’s Greatest Crime
Zhou Xun
November 24, 2013
If not for its political angles, the Lei exposé is hardly the most eye-catching of Chinese sex scandals.
Lei Zhengfu Sex Tape: China Mesmerized by Once-Taboo Topics of Politics and Porn
Melinda Liu
November 28, 2012
Lei, 54, is now under investigation for allegedly giving profitable construction deals to both his mistress and his brother.
Lei Zhengfu Sex Tape: China Mesmerized by Once-Taboo Topics of Politics and Porn
Melinda Liu
November 28, 2012
For while eager looters in the neighborhood were watching, so were Bobby Green, Lei Yuille, Terri Barnett, and Titus Murphy.
Bob Tur, the L.A. Riots’ Eye in the Sky, on Reginald Denny & More
Matthew DeLuca
April 27, 2012

Historical Examples of lei

He said he could not receive their gift, but must wear his own lei.
Legends of Gods and Ghosts (Hawaiian Mythology)
W. D. (William Drake) Westervelt
But her picture was not worth five lei, as you can see for yourself.
The New Frontiers of Freedom from the Alps to the gean
Edward Alexander Powell
At the same time Lei Chên-tzŭ was ordered to attack the two genii.
Myths and Legends of China
E. T. C. Werner
In the temples Lei Tsu is placed in the centre with the other four to right and left.
Myths and Legends of China
E. T. C. Werner
Lei us now glance at the rapid increase of the American Church up to our own day.
The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6
E. Rameur

British Dictionary definitions for lei

lei

noun

(in Hawaii) a garland of flowers, worn around the neck

Word Origin for lei

from Hawaiian

lei

noun

the plural of leu

leu

noun plural lei (leɪ)

the standard monetary unit of Romania and Moldova, divided into 100 bani

Word Origin for leu

from Romanian: lion

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

Word Origin and History for lei

1843, from Hawaiian, "ornament worn about the neck or head."

leu

monetary unit of Romania, introduced 1867, literally "lion." Monetary names in the Balkans often translate as "lion" because Dutch gold coins stamped with lions circulated widely in the region in the 17c. and the word for "lion" came to be a word for "money" in some languages in the region.

lei in Medicine

Leu

abbr.

leucine