lea

¹

[ lee, ley ]

noun

1. a tract of open ground, especially grassland; meadow.
2. land used for a few years for pasture or for growing hay, then plowed over and replaced by another crop.
3. a crop of hay on tillable land.

adjective

1. untilled; fallow.

lea

²

[ lee ]

noun

1. a measure of yarn of varying quantity, for wool usually 80 yards (73 meters), cotton and silk 120 yards (110 meters), linen 300 yards (274 meters).
2. Textiles.
   1. a unit length used to ascertain the linear density of yarns.
   2. a count or number representing units of linear measure per pound in linen or cotton yarn:

      a 20-lea yarn.

Lea

³

[ lee lee-uh ]

noun

1. Homer, 1876–1912, U.S. soldier and author: adviser 1911–12 to Sun Yat-sen in China.
2. a female given name, form of Leah or Lee.

lea.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. league.
2. leather.

LEA

¹

abbreviation for

1. Local Education Authority

lea

²

/ liː /

noun

1. a unit for measuring lengths of yarn, usually taken as 80 yards for wool, 120 yards for cotton and silk, and 300 yards for linen
2. a measure of yarn expressed as the length per unit weight, usually the number of leas per pound

lea

³

/ liː /

noun

1. poetic.
   a meadow or field
2. land that has been sown with grass seed

Word History and Origins

Origin of lea¹

before 900; Middle English lege, lei, Old English lēah; cognate with Old High German lōh, dialectal Dutch loo (as in Waterloo ), Latin lūcus

Origin of lea²

1350–1400; perhaps back formation from Middle English lese, variant of leash

Word History and Origins

Origin of lea¹

C14: of uncertain origin

Origin of lea²

Old English lēah; related to German dialect loh thicket

Example Sentences

There’s a reason “Sunset Blvd.” has become the most coveted Broadway ticket since Lea Michele triumphed in “Funny Girl.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Scream Queens” — which also starred Roberts, Ariana Grande, Billie Lourd, Abigail Breslin and Lea Michele — does not seem like it was a positive experience for Palmer, per her book.

From Los Angeles Times

Léa Luce and I found our chemistry early on.

From Salon

On Wednesday, Deadline reported that the pair had been cast in the “Alpha Gang” film, along with Dave Bautista, Steven Yeun, Léa Seydoux, Riley Keough and Cate Blanchett, and Tatum reposted Bautista’s Instagram story about the Zellner brothers’ alien invasion comedy.

From Los Angeles Times

Actress Léa Seydoux called Macron's comments "crazy", adding that it "gives a very bad image for France".

From BBC

Related Words

• farmland
• garden
• grassland
• green
• ground
• meadow
• pasture
• range
• terrain
• territory