Added 9 October 2026
lees
/liːz/ noun
In Latin: floces Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about lees at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The sediment from fermentation of an alcoholic beverage.
Origin
From Old French lies, from Medieval Latin lias (“lees, dregs”) (descent via winemaking common in monasteries), from Gaulish *ligyā, *legyā (“silt, sediment”) (compare Welsh llai, Old Breton leh (“deposit, silt”)), from Proto-Celtic *legyā (“layer”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie (down)”). Doublet of lias; also related to Loire and Leicester.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)