lewis

[ loo-is ]

/ ˈlu ɪs /

noun

a device for lifting a dressed stone, consisting of a number of pieces fitting together to fill a dovetailed recess cut into the stone.

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What does “Indigenous” mean?

characterized by cleverness or originality of invention or construction.

carried on abroad, or with other countries.

relating to or being a people who are the original, earliest known inhabitants of a region, or are their descendants.

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Also called lewisson.

Origin of lewis

First recorded in 1730–40; perhaps after the surname of the inventor

Words nearby lewis

levy en masse, Lew, lewd, lewdness, Lewes, lewis, Lewis acid, Lewis and Clark expedition, Lewis and Harris, Lewis base, lewis bolt

Definition for lewis (2 of 2)

Lewis

[ loo-is ]

/ ˈlu ɪs /

noun

Carl Frederick Carlton Lewis, born 1961, U.S. track and field athlete.

C(ecil) Day, 1904–72, British poet: poet laureate after 1968.

C(live) S(ta·ples)

[stey-puhlz], /ˈsteɪ pəlz/, "Clive Hamilton", 1898–1963, English novelist and essayist.

Edward, 1918–2004, U.S. biologist: Nobel Prize 1995.

Gilbert Newton, 1875–1946, U.S. chemist.

(Harry) Sinclair, 1885–1951, U.S. novelist, playwright, and journalist: Nobel Prize 1930.

Henry, 1932–96, U.S. orchestral conductor.

Isaac Newton, 1858–1931, U.S. soldier and inventor.

Jerry Lee, born 1935, U.S. country-and-western and rock-'n'-roll singer, musician, and composer.

John (Aaron), 1920–2001, U.S. jazz pianist, composer, and musical director.

John L(lewellyn), 1880–1969, U.S. labor leader.

Matthew Gregory "Monk Lewis", 1775–1809, English novelist, dramatist, and poet.

Mer·i·weth·er

[mer-i-weth-er], /ˈmɛr ɪˌwɛð ər/, 1774–1809, U.S. explorer: leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition 1804–06.

(Percy) Wynd·ham

[win-duhm], /ˈwɪn dəm/, 1884–1957, English novelist, essayist, and painter; born in the U.S.

R(ichard) W(arrington) B(aldwin), 1917–2002, U.S. biographer, literary critic, and scholar.

a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for lewis

In Vietnam, Lewis was advisor to a Vietnamese infantry unit, whose nickname for him was “Captain of Many Kilos.”
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down|Nicolaus Mills|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When they thought about Lewis, what struck the players most was that he never acted like a do-gooder.
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down|Nicolaus Mills|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I learned of Lewis because the players kept bringing up his name in the interviews I did with them.
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down|Nicolaus Mills|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The award surprised Lewis, but it also struck the right note.
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down|Nicolaus Mills|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

When Lewis was shipped off to Vietnam, his son was just three months old, and the timing of the assignment worried Lewis.
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down|Nicolaus Mills|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mrs. Lewis sewed, that afternoon, on his jacket, mending it up more neatly than ever before.
Tip Lewis and His Lamp|Pansy
Mr. Lewis' brother Benjamin was a more severe slave master than the one who owned me.
The Story of Mattie J. Jackson|L. S. Thompson
But previous to the Lewis and Clarke expedition little was known of this part of the country.
Then and Now|Robert Vaughn
Capt. Lewis, myself and some of the men, went over to the Indian camp.
Villages of the Algonquian, Siouan, and Caddoan Tribes West of the Mississippi|David Ives Bushnell
Several men had been hit and half the butt of the Lewis gun blown off by a bomb.
The Fifth Battalion Highland Light Infantry in the War 1914-1918|F.L. Morrison

British Dictionary definitions for lewis (1 of 3)

lewis

lewisson (ˈluːɪsən)

/ (ˈluːɪs) /

noun

a lifting device for heavy stone or concrete blocks consisting of a number of curved pieces of metal or wedges fitting into a dovetailed recess cut into the block

Word Origin for lewis

C18: perhaps from the name of the inventor

British Dictionary definitions for lewis (2 of 3)

Lewis¹

/ (ˈluːɪs) /

noun

the N part of the island of Lewis with Harris, in the Outer Hebrides. Pop: about 17 000 (2001). Area: 1634 sq km (631 sq miles)

British Dictionary definitions for lewis (3 of 3)

Lewis²

/ (ˈluːɪs) /

noun

Carl. full name Frederick Carleton Lewis . born 1961, US athlete; winner of the long jump, 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay at the 1984 Olympic Games; winner of the 100 metres in the 1988 Olympic Games; winner of the long jump in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games

See Day-Lewis

C (live) S (taples). 1898–1963, English novelist, critic, and Christian apologist, noted for his critical work, Allegory of Love (1936), his theological study, The Screwtape Letters (1942), and for his children's books chronicling the land of Narnia

Lennox. born 1965, Canadian and British boxer; won Olympic gold (1988) for Canada in the superheavyweight division; won various professional heavyweight titles between 1994 and 2004

Matthew Gregory, known as Monk Lewis. 1775–1818, English novelist and dramatist, noted for his Gothic horror story The Monk (1796)

Meriwether. 1774–1807, American explorer who, with William Clark, led an overland expedition from St Louis to the Pacific Ocean (1804–06)

(John) Saunders (ˈsɔːndəz). 1893–1985, Welsh poet, dramatist, critic, and politician: founder (1926) and president (1926–39) of the Welsh Nationalist Party

(Harry) Sinclair. 1885–1951, US novelist. He satirized the complacency and philistinism of American small-town life, esp in Main Street (1920) and Babbitt (1922): Nobel prize for literature 1930

Wally. born 1959, Australian rugby league player; played 33 matches for Australia (1981–91), scoring 11 tries

(Percy) Wyndham. 1884–1957, British painter, novelist, and critic, born in the US: a founder of vorticism. His writings include Time and Western Man (1927), The Apes of God (1930), and the trilogy The Human Age (1928–55)

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

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WORD OF THE DAY

lewis

noun

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Origin of lewis

Words nearby lewis

Definition for lewis (2 of 2)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for lewis

British Dictionary definitions for lewis (1 of 3)

lewisson (ˈluːɪsən)

noun

Word Origin for lewis

British Dictionary definitions for lewis (2 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for lewis (3 of 3)

noun