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ley1

[ley, lee]
noun, adjective
  1. lea1.
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ley2

[ley]
noun
  1. leu.
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ley3

[ley]
noun
  1. a pewter containing about 80 percent tin and 20 percent lead.
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Origin of ley3

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 leys

Historical Examples

  • The Leys for generations have been as proud as turkey-cocks, added Mrs. Branderton.

    Mrs. Craddock

    W. Somerset Maugham

  • If they had to part, it could not be under Miss Leys cold eyes.

    Mrs. Craddock

    W. Somerset Maugham

  • Youre sure to make a mess of things and come back—the Leys always do.

    Mrs. Craddock

    W. Somerset Maugham

  • And it sounds funny that people called Craddock should live at Court Leys.

    Mrs. Craddock

    W. Somerset Maugham

  • Through Leys the history of art was not enriched with anything new.

British Dictionary definitions for leys

ley

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

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 leys

ley

n.

"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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper