Lees

Origin

Old French lies, from Medieval Latin liae (plural of lias), from Gaulish *liga ("silt, sediment"), akin to Welsh llai, Old Breton leh ("deposit, silt") (modern lec'hi ("lees"), from Proto-Indo-European *legÊ°-.

Noun

noun

1. (plural only) The sediment that settles during fermentation of beverages, consisting of dead yeast and precipitated parts of the fruit.
• 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, Kipper drained his glass to the lees and seemed to become calmer.
2. (sailing) Plural of lee

Synonyms

• (sediment) dregs

Related terms

• lie

Anagrams

• eels, else, lese, seel, sele