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The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section I, J, K, and L · Project Gutenberg — chapter 638 of 826 · ~569 words · public domain

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I will leerupon him as a' comes by.

Shak.

The priest, above his book, Leering at his neighbor's wife.

Tennyson.

Leer, v. t. To entice with a leer, or leers; as, to leer a man to ruin. Dryden.

Leere (lr), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] Tape or braid; an ornament. Halliwell.

Leere side, the left side, as that on which a leere or ornament was worn. B. Jonson.

Leer"ing*ly, adv. In a leering manner.

Lees (lz), n. pl. Dregs. See 2d Lee.

Lees (ls), n. A leash. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Leese (lz), v. t. [See Lose.] To lose. [Obs.]

They would rather leese their friend than their jest.

Lord Burleigh.

Leese, v. t. [Cf. F. léser, L. laesus, p. p. of laedere.] To hurt. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Leet (lt), obs. imp. of Let, to allow. Chaucer.

Leet, n. [Cf. AS. hlt share, lot.] A portion; a list, esp. a list of candidates for an office. [Scot.]

Leet, n. [LL. leta. Cf. F. lit de justice a solemn sitting of the king in Parliament, L. lis, litis, a lawsuit, It., Sp., & Pg. lite.] (Eng. Hist.) A court-leet; the district within the jurisdiction of a court-leet; the day on which a court-leet is held. Shak.

The original intent of the court-leet was to view the frankpledges or freemen within the liberty; hence called the view of frankpledge. Latterly it has fallen into almost entire disuse. Burrill. Warren's Blackstone.

Leet ale, a feast or merrymaking in time of leet. [Obs.]

Leet, n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.) The European pollock.

Leet"man (-man), n.; pl. Leetmen (-men). One subject to the jurisdiction of a court-leet.

Lee"ward (l"wrd or l"rd), a. (Naut.) Pertaining to, or in the direction of, the part or side toward which the wind blows; -- opposed to windward; as, a leeward berth; a leeward ship. -- n. The lee side; the lee. -- adv. Toward the lee.

Lee"way` (l"w`), n. (Naut.) The lateral movement of a ship to the leeward of her course; drift.

Left (lft), imp. & p. p. of Leave.

Left, a. [OE. left, lift, luft; akin to Fries. leeft, OD. lucht, luft; cf. AS. left (equiv. to L. inanis), lyftdl palsy; or cf. AS. lf weak.] Of or pertaining to that side of the body in man on which the muscular action of the limbs is usually weaker than on the other side; -- opposed to right, when used in reference to a part of the body; as, the left hand, or arm; the left ear. Also said of the corresponding side of the lower animals.

Left bank of a river, that which is on the left hand of a person whose face is turned downstream. -- Left bower. See under 2d Bower. -- Left center, the members whose sympathies are, in the main, with the members of the Left, but who do not favor extreme courses, and on occasions vote with the government. They sit between the Center and the extreme Left. -- Over the left shoulder, or Over the left, an old but still current colloquialism, or slang expression, used as an aside to indicate insincerity, negation, or disbelief; as, he said it, and it is true, -- over the left.

Left, n. 1. That part of surrounding space toward which the left side of one's body is turned; as, the house is on the left when you face North.

Put that rose a little more to the left.

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