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Added 9 October 2026

lee

/liː/ noun

Latin root: calēre Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about lee at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957).
United States striptease artist who became famous on Broadway in the 1930s (1914-1970).
United States actor who was an expert in kung fu and starred in martial arts films (1941-1973).

adjective

Towards the side away from the wind.

Origin

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”)).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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