ley

[ley, lee]

noun, adjective

lea¹.

ley

[ley]

noun

leu.

ley

[ley]

noun

a pewter containing about 80 percent tin and 20 percent lead.

Origin of ley

aphetic variant of obsolete aley alloy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ley

Historical Examples of ley

Worms may be destroyed by an infusion of walnut-tree leaves, or by pouring into the holes a ley made of wood ashes and lime.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
If not boiled enough, on cooling, it will turn to ley and sediment.
A Treatise on Domestic Economy
Catherine Esther Beecher
“You said that another man was a witness of this affair,” said the captain, turning to Ley.
Will Weatherhelm
W.H.G. Kingston
Thursley is Thor's ley or field, and has memories of the Danes.
Highways and Byways in Surrey
Eric Parker
Pasturage is still called a "ley" for cattle in these parts.
Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 (of 2)
John Roby

British Dictionary definitions for ley

ley

noun

arable land put down to grass; grassland or pastureland
Also called: ley line a line joining two prominent points in the landscape, thought to be the line of a prehistoric track

Word Origin for ley

C14: variant of lea 1

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

Word Origin and History for ley

"line of a prehistoric track; alignment of natural and artificial features," 1922 [Alfred Watkins], apparently a variant of lea. Popular topic in Britain in 1920s and 30s and again in 1960s-70s.