Lease

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /liːs/
• Rhymes: -iːs

From Middle English lesen, from Old English lesan ("to collect, pick, select, gather"), from Proto-Germanic *lesaną ("to gather"), from Proto-Indo-European *les- ("to gather"). Cognate with Scots lease ("to arrange, gather"), West Frisian lêze ("to read"), Eastern Frisian lesen ("to gather, read"), Dutch lezen ("to gather, read"), German lesen ("to gather, read"), Danish læse ("to collect, read").

Full definition of lease

Verb

1. (transitive, chiefly dialectal) to gather.
2. (transitive, chiefly dialectal) to pick, select, pick out; to pick up.
3. (transitive, chiefly dialectal) to glean.
4. (intransitive, chiefly dialectal) to glean, gather up leavings.

From Middle English leas, lees, les, from Old English lēas ("false, void, loose"), from Proto-Germanic *lausaz ("loose, free"), from Proto-Indo-European *lū- ("to untie, set free, sever"). Cognate with German los ("loose"), Swedish lös ("loose"). More at loose.

Adjective

1. false; lying; deceptive

Related terms

• leasing

Noun

1. falsehood; a lie

From Middle English *leasien, from Old English lēasian ("to lie, tell lies"), from lēas ("falsehood, lying, untruth, mistake").

Verb

1. (ambitransitive, UK dialectal) To tell lies; tell lies about; slander; calumniate.

From Middle English lese, from Old English lǣs ("meadow"), from Proto-Germanic *lēswō ("meadow"), from Proto-Indo-European *lēy-, *lēid- ("to leave, let"). Cognate with Old Saxon lēsa ("meadow"). See also leasow.

Alternative forms

• leaze

Noun

1. an open pasture or common

From Middle English lesen, from Old English līesan ("to loosen, release, redeem, deliver, liberate"), from Proto-Germanic *lausijaną ("to release, loosen"), from Proto-Indo-European *leu- ("to cut, solve, separate"). Cognate with Dutch lozen ("to drain, discharge"), German lösen ("to release"), Swedish lösa ("to solve"), Icelandic leysa ("to solve").

Alternative forms

• leese Scotland

Verb

1. (transitive, UK dialectal) To release; let go; unloose.

From Middle English *lesen, from Anglo-Norman *leser, Old French lesser, laisier ("to let, let go"), from Medieval Latin lassō ("to let, let go"), partly from Latin laxō ("to loose"); partly from Old High German lāzzan, lāzan (German lassen, "to let, let go, release"). Cognate with Old English lǣtan ("to allow, let go, leave, rent"). More at let.

Verb

1. (transitive) To operate or live in some property or land through purchasing a long-term contract (or leasehold) from the owner (or freeholder).
2. (transitive) To take or hold by lease.
3. (intransitive) To grant a lease; to let or rent.

Noun

1. A contract granting use or occupation of property during a specified period in exchange for a specified rent
2. The period of such a contract
3. A leasehold

Related terms

• lessor, lessee

From leash

Noun