alee
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of alee
Explanation
When you're alee, you're on the side of a boat facing away from the wind. If a sailor moves the sail alee, she moves it downwind. Alee is a nautical term, one you're most likely to hear on a boat or ship. Another way to say "on the downwind side" is leeward. Both words include lee, from the Old English hleo, "shelter, cover, defense, or protection." So the alee side of a sailboat is the side that's sheltered from the wind, and the phrase "Hard alee!" is a command to move the sail to the boat's protected side.
Vocabulary lists containing alee
Scrabble: Four-Letter Words with 3 Vowels
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
That's the Way the Wind Blows
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
4-letter words, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 720 ft ship was doing 27 knots and the helm was hard alee.
From The Verge • Aug. 25, 2022
With helm hard alee the Knitsley started to run back to the shelter of nearby Santander, still held by Leftists.
From Time Magazine Archive
The flood tide making over the shoals sets in with a thrussh of broken water alee of the wreck.
From Merchantmen-at-arms : the British merchants' service in the war by Bone, David W. (David William)
With the sails furled, and the helm lashed alee; Ð applied to ships in a storm.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah
When life was young, my white sail hung O’er ocean’s crystal floor; In the fiords alee was the dreaming sea, And the deep sea waves before.
From Zigzag Journeys in Northern Lands; The Rhine to the Arctic; A Summer Trip of the Zigzag Club Through Holland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden by Butterworth, Hezekiah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
