levee

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word levee. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word levee, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say levee in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word levee you have here. The definition of the word levee will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition oflevee, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: levée and lévée

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From French levée, from lever (to raise, rise).

levee

Noun

levee (plural levees)

  1. An elevated geographical feature.
  2. An embankment to prevent inundation; as, the levees along the Mississippi.
  3. (US) The steep bank of a river.
  4. (US) The border of an irrigated field.
  5. (US) A pier or other landing place on a river.
Synonyms
Translations

Verb

levee (third-person singular simple present levees, present participle leveeing, simple past and past participle leveed)

  1. (US, transitive) To keep within a channel by means of levees.
    to levee a river
Translations

Etymology 2

From French levé variant of the noun lever (the act of getting up in the morning).

Noun

levee (plural levees)

  1. (obsolete) The act of rising; getting up, especially in the morning after rest.
    • c. 1763, Thomas Gray, letter to Mr. Nichols
      And look before you were up in the morning, though you were a punctual courtier at the sun's levee
    • 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society, published 1973, page 414:
      The sturdy hind now attends the levee of his fellow-labourer the ox []
  2. A reception of visitors held after getting up.
  3. A formal reception, especially one given by royalty or other leaders.
    • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XV, in Francesca Carrara. , volume II, London: Richard Bentley, , (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 179:
      I must take my leave, for the Cardinal holds a levee to-day, and let those fail in attendance who want nothing.
    • 1992, Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety, published 1993, →ISBN, page 195:
      At the King's levee on the morning of the 13th, Philippe was first ignored; then asked by His Majesty (rudely) what he wanted; then told, ‘Get back where you came from.’

Verb

levee (third-person singular simple present levees, present participle leveeing, simple past and past participle leveed)

  1. (transitive) To attend the levee or levees of.
    • 1725–1728, [Edward Young], “(please specify the page)”, in Love of Fame, the Universal Passion. In Seven Characteristical Satires, 4th edition, London: J and R Tonson , published 1741, →OCLC:
      He levees all the great.

Anagrams

Old French

Verb

levee

  1. feminine singular of the past participle of lever