Lea Meaning
/liː/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn open field, meadow, pasture.
nounAny of several measures of yarn; for linen, 300 yards (275 m); for cotton, 120 yards (110 m).
Sentence Examples
The sheep were grazing peacefully in the green lea.
We walked across the flowery lea during our summer hike.
The wild horses ran across the green lea.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The sheep grazed in the green ____ during the early spring morning.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The sheep were grazing peacefully in the green ____, which was surrounded by a forest of ancient tall trees.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English legh, lege, lei (“clearing, open ground”), from Old English lēah (“clearing in a forest”) from Proto-West Germanic *lauh (“meadow”), from Proto-Germanic *lauhaz (“meadow”), from Proto-Indo-European *lówkos (“field, meadow”). Akin to Old Frisian lāch (“meadow”), Old Saxon lōh (“forest, grove”) (Middle Dutch loo (“forest, thicket”); Dutch -lo (“in placenames”)), Old High German lōh (“covered clearing, low bushes”), Old Norse lō (“clearing, meadow”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,
The plowman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me."
— 1750, Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The sheep grazed in the green ____ during the early spring morning.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The sheep were grazing peacefully in the green ____, which was surrounded by a forest of ancient tall trees.