Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lee

/liː/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.73 in modern English

Syllables
lee
IPA
/liː/
3
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
2
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A protected cove or harbor, out of the wind.

noun

The side of the ship away from the wind.

noun

A sheltered place, especially a place protected from the wind by some object; the side sheltered from the wind (see also leeside); shelter; protection.

noun

Calm, peace.

adj

Facing away from the flow of a fluid, usually air.

noun

Lees; dregs.

Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

Obsolete form of li (“traditional Chinese unit of distance”).

Obsolete

name

An English topographic surname from Middle English.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English lee, from Old English hlēo, hlēow (“shelter, protection”), from Proto-West Germanic *hlaiw (whence also Proto-Slavic *xlěvъ), from Proto-Germanic *hlaiwaz (compare German Lee (“lee”), Swedish lä, Danish læ, Norwegian le, Old Norse hlé, Dutch lij), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- (compare Welsh clyd (“warm, cozy”), Latin calēre (“to warm up”), Lithuanian šiltas (“warm, pleasant”), Sanskrit शरद् (śarad, “autumn”)).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: lee, hlēo, *hlaiw, *hlaiwaz, *ḱley-, lēa

Usage

Inflected Forms

lees (plural) Lea (alternative) Leigh (alternative) Li (alternative) Le (alternative) Ly (alternative) Rhee (alternative) Ree (alternative)

Derived Forms

alee leeboard leeward leewards leeway Lees Leeson Leesport Leeton

Phrases

lee cloth lee-ho Merry Lees under the lee lee gauge lee shore on one's lee-lane Fort Lee

Frequently Paired Words

on one's lee-lane Lea Leah Leh Lei Leigh Ley Li

Synonyms

downwind lee side leeward

Homonyms

le lea Lee leigh li Lie ley

Antonyms

stoss weather windward

Rhymes With

be he we me she see three free de tv key sea

Questions

How do you pronounce lee?
The recorded pronunciation is /liː/.
What does lee mean?
A protected cove or harbor, out of the wind.
Where does lee come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce lee

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lee”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/liː/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lee”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “lee” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.