levee

¹ American  

[lev-ee] / ˈlɛv i /

noun

1. an embankment designed to prevent the flooding of a river.

2. Geology. natural levee.

3. Agriculture. one of the small continuous ridges surrounding fields that are to be irrigated.

4. History/Historical. a landing place for ships; quay.

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verb (used with object)

leveed, leveeing

1. to furnish with a levee.

   to levee a treacherous stream.

levee ² American  

[lev-ee, le-vee] / ˈlɛv i, lɛˈvi /

noun

1. (in Great Britain) a public court assembly, held in the early afternoon, at which men only are received.

2. a reception, usually in someone's honor.

   a presidential levee at the White House.

3. History/Historical. a reception of visitors held on rising from bed, as formerly by a royal or other personage.

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levee ¹ British  

/ ˈlɛvɪ, ˈlɛveɪ /

noun

1. a formal reception held by a sovereign just after rising from bed

2. (in Britain) a public court reception for men, held in the early afternoon

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levee ² British  

/ ˈlɛvɪ /

noun

1. an embankment alongside a river, produced naturally by sedimentation or constructed by man to prevent flooding

2. an embankment that surrounds a field that is to be irrigated

3. a landing place on a river; quay

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levee Scientific  

/ lĕv′ē /

1. A long ridge of sand, silt, and clay built up by a river along its banks, especially during floods.

2. An artificial embankment along a rivercourse or an arm of the sea, built to protect adjoining land from inundation.

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Etymology

Origin of levee¹

An Americanism dating back to 1710–20; from French levée past participle of lever “to raise”; levee ² ( def. ), lever

Origin of levee²

First recorded in 1665–75; from French levé, variant spelling of lever “rising (from bed)” (noun use of infinitive); levee ¹, lever

Explanation

A levee is an embankment, like a dam, constructed to prevent the overflow of a body of water. It can also mean a formal reception. How do these two words relate? Read on... In French, lever means "to lift" and se lever means "to rise," literally "lift yourself." When the king rose from his bed and received visitors, that was a levee. When you raise up dirt or other materials to build a dam or levee, that's also a levee. Now, official levees don't involve kings — but you might hear of “a governor’s levee at the state capital.” And levee can be used as a verb, meaning "to make an embankment, or shore up."

Example Sentences

His biggest fear would be a breach of a levee protecting the Netherlands -- "the impact would be immense", but he is confident in Dutch preparations.

From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025

Along the West Bank of the Mississippi, directly across the way from downtown New Orleans, there’s a levee that rises up beside the riverbank.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025

To run up the levee and gaze upon that view of downtown was something of a rite of passage for kids in the neighborhood.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025

A levee system constructed to divert storm waters away from New Orleans burst in multiple places, sending floodwaters pouring into residential areas, the cause of most of the lives lost.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025

“We hate backtracking, but we’re not crazy … well, not that crazy. We were looking at how a levee disintegrates. It’s not often that you get to see something like that. It’s interesting.”

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Related Words

• dam