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View synonyms for levee

levee

1

[ lev-ee ]

noun

  1. an embankment designed to prevent the flooding of a river.
  2. Geology. natural levee.
  3. Agriculture. one of the small continuous ridges surrounding fields that are to be irrigated.
  4. History/Historical. a landing place for ships; quay.


verb (used with object)

, lev·eed, lev·ee·ing.
  1. to furnish with a levee:

    to levee a treacherous stream.

levee

2

[ lev-ee, le-vee ]

noun

  1. (in Great Britain) a public court assembly, held in the early afternoon, at which men only are received.
  2. a reception, usually in someone's honor:

    a presidential levee at the White House.

  3. History/Historical. a reception of visitors held on rising from bed, as formerly by a royal or other personage.

levee

1

/ ˈlɛvɪ; ˈlɛveɪ /

noun

  1. a formal reception held by a sovereign just after rising from bed
  2. (in Britain) a public court reception for men, held in the early afternoon
“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


levee

2

/ ˈlɛvɪ /

noun

  1. an embankment alongside a river, produced naturally by sedimentation or constructed by man to prevent flooding
  2. an embankment that surrounds a field that is to be irrigated
  3. a landing place on a river; quay
“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

levee

/ lĕvē /

  1. A long ridge of sand, silt, and clay built up by a river along its banks, especially during floods.
  2. An artificial embankment along a rivercourse or an arm of the sea, built to protect adjoining land from inundation.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of levee1

An Americanism dating back to 1710–20; from French levée past participle of lever “to raise”; levee 2( def ), lever

Origin of levee2

First recorded in 1665–75; from French levé, variant spelling of lever “rising (from bed)” (noun use of infinitive); levee 1, lever
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Word History and Origins

Origin of levee1

C17: from French, variant of lever a rising, from Latin levāre to raise

Origin of levee2

C18: from French, from Medieval Latin levāta, from Latin levāre to raise
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Example Sentences

Those accounting for potential ocean waves, for example, were added in twice, meaning that the resulting levee was built with an extra few feet of clearance.

From Time

Some parishes experienced nearly nine feet of storm surge and up to a foot and half of rain, overpowering local levees.

Hurricane Ida, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, battered Louisiana, with reports of downed power lines, levee failures and flooding, collapsed buildings and residents trapped on rooftops.

The levee system in New Orleans held, but there is massive structural damage to many buildings, multiple hospitals lost generators, and widespread destruction was seen across the state.

According to Tellman the way forward is to invest in infrastructure that would make flood zones and levees safer to live near as more people gravitate towards those areas.

The Republican governor criticized the suit as beyond the authority of the levee board and is calling for it to be dropped.

Only when government scientists determine there is a risk of flooding will the middle of the levee be put in place.

The relevant government agencies could not locate sufficient funding to build a stronger levee, says Phannavong.

But then they saw the water rise—the result of the failed federal levee system that deluged 80 percent of the city.

“Their Heads, which decorate our Levee, all the way up the coast… look like crows sitting on long poles,” wrote one traveler.

Levee: a ceremonious visit received by a distinguished person in the morning.

A crevasse was made in the levee above New Orleans flooding much of the city.

I observed he looked tired with the levee, and begged to be allowed to write to her another day.

When the King held his court at Rambouillet, a curtain only separated his chamber and the levee-room.

The King held a levee of his officers while the Queen-Empress received 120 ladies of the families of the ruling chiefs.

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