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levee

1
[ lev-ee ]
/ ˈlɛv i /
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noun
an embankment designed to prevent the flooding of a river.
Geology. natural levee.
Agriculture. one of the small continuous ridges surrounding fields that are to be irrigated.
History/Historical. a landing place for ships; quay.
verb (used with object), lev·eed, lev·ee·ing.
to furnish with a levee: to levee a treacherous stream.
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Origin of levee

1
An Americanism dating back to 1710–20; from French levée past participle of lever “to raise”; see levee2, lever

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH levee

levee , levy

Words nearby levee

levanter, Levantine, Levant storax, levator, Le Vau, levee, level, level best, level compensator, level crossing, level curve

Other definitions for levee (2 of 2)

levee2
[ lev-ee, le-vee ]
/ ˈlɛv i, lɛˈvi /
noun
(in Great Britain) a public court assembly, held in the early afternoon, at which men only are received.
a reception, usually in someone's honor: a presidential levee at the White House.
History/Historical. a reception of visitors held on rising from bed, as formerly by a royal or other personage.

Origin of levee

2
First recorded in 1665–75; from French levé, variant spelling of lever “rising (from bed)” (noun use of infinitive); see levee1, lever
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to levee

dam, bank, breakwater, earthwork, mound

How to use levee in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for levee (1 of 2)

levee1
/ (ˈlɛvɪ) /
noun US
an embankment alongside a river, produced naturally by sedimentation or constructed by man to prevent flooding
an embankment that surrounds a field that is to be irrigated
a landing place on a river; quay

Word Origin for levee

C18: from French, from Medieval Latin levāta, from Latin levāre to raise

British Dictionary definitions for levee (2 of 2)

levee2
/ (ˈlɛvɪ, ˈlɛveɪ) /
noun
a formal reception held by a sovereign just after rising from bed
(in Britain) a public court reception for men, held in the early afternoon

Word Origin for levee

C17: from French, variant of lever a rising, from Latin levāre to raise
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

Scientific definitions for levee

levee
[ lĕv′ē ]
A long ridge of sand, silt, and clay built up by a river along its banks, especially during floods.
An artificial embankment along a rivercourse or an arm of the sea, built to protect adjoining land from inundation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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