levee

¹ 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 ² 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 ¹ 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 ² 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 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

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

Origin of levee¹

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

Example Sentences

Next arrived atmospheric rivers—intense weather systems that broke levees, flooded towns and killed at least one in Western Washington.

From The Wall Street Journal

And there’s no better classic rock band than Led Zeppelin, a group famously resistant to licensing their songs until recently when the levee has apparently broken.

From Los Angeles Times

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

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

More than half a million Californians live among waterways in low-lying towns of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where 1,100 miles of levees made of dirt and rocks protect homes from nearby rivers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dam