lei
1 Americannoun
-
leis
plural
noun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lei
Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1835–45
Explanation
In Hawaii, a sweet-smelling garland of flowers is called a lei. Traditional hula dancers often wear elaborate leis made of ferns, leaves, and blossoms. Leis are such an important part of Hawaiian culture that May 1 is known as "Lei Day" and is celebrated across all the islands. It's also customary to give leis to special guests, brides and grooms, funeral mourners, retirees, and people celebrating birthdays. The custom extends to other parts of Polynesia, including Samoa and Tahiti. The Hawaiian root of lei means "ornament worn about the neck or head."
Vocabulary lists containing lei
The House Swap
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Dragonfruit
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If you don’t splurge on an airport lei greeting, pick one up at a local Target.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Since the crisis erupted, the interest rates at which Romania borrows have risen, and the lei currency has depreciated against the euro, which reached an all-time high of 5.21 Romanian lei on Tuesday.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
A white lei hung around her neck as she attempted to balance her champion’s plaque awkwardly in one hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2025
In return he promised monthly top-up payments of 5,000 Moldovan lei to pensioners, or about £200.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2024
I finger the strand, feeling as if the lei has transferred some of its beauty to me.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
She cried afterward, as her family draped her in leis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
In Santa Monica, parade-goers lined Main Street decked out in shiny red, white and blue leis and tank tops bearing stars and stripes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
One delegate from Hawaii accessorized his kaffiyeh with colorful floral leis.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2024
The family ran four stores that catered to tourists, selling aloha shirts and muumuus along with leis that Vierra’s husband, Mike Vierra, would make from plumeria blossoms he picked in their yard.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2023
The terminal is dotted with greeters—Hawaiian women in long, flower-patterned dresses holding welcome signs and strands of purple-and-white-orchid leis draped over their forearms.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
