lease 
lease 2 (les), r. t.; pret. and pp. Inisnl, ppr. leas- 
inij. [< ME. 'liven, < AF. "li-m-r, < >F. lai.iiir, /< i.i- 
li-.i.iier, leaser, laxier, F. luixxer, let, let go, 
Leaze Is an unmown grass Held stocked I 
id summer. Edinburgh R 
2. A common. [Prov. Eug. in both senses.] 
>, M,VT, wer, , . **, e, e go, . . 
leave let out, = Sp. I 1 -. l,u;ir = It. lawiarc, lease 5 (lea), . [The more original form of 
leave toore,looen(ML. r L .nexte.re,leave), 'eaA.] In ,mn ? , 
the system of crossings n 
leat 
Trust her not, you bonnlbel, 
She wUl forty learinyi tell. 
II. Jonton, The Satyr. 
Thou shalt destroy them that speak leannj; the Lord 
will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. Pa. T. 8. 
n. One who 
Is now hated out, I die pronouncing it, 
Like to a tenement or pelting farm. 
Ska*.. Rich. II., 11. 1. 59. 
Those not by chance 
Made, or indenture, or latx'it out t' advance 
The profits for a time. 
It. Jonson, Underwoods, Ixvxvlii. 4. 
2. To take a lease of, or to take, as lands, etc., 
by a lease : as, he leased the farm from the pro- 
prietor. = 8yn. Let, Rent, etc. See /Ural. 
[ME.] 
n. A tenant under 
reflex tessa),' a Tease, also (F. legs), a thing left ie a gemonger (les'mung'ger), n. [< lease* + 
by will, a legacy ; cf. OT^to^fcw^t, aj>res- JJJ^ 8 g^J who SjtfS leases. [Rare.] 
wouidst fain convert thy leasehold Into a copyhold." and progenitors ; verbal sedition. 
Scott, Kenilworth, v. leasing-mongert (le'zing-mung'ger), n. 
II. a. Held by lease : as, a leasehold tene- A liar, 
i in 'lit . Leasehold enfranchisement, a plan for con- Leasing mongtris and forsworun. Wydif, 1 Tim. L 10. 
ferrlng on holders of leases for long unexplred terms the _ , - ,, , 
right by statute to acquire the fee by compensating the liCa S oaK. , j -w, i i . 
owners of the reversion or remainder. It was brought he- leaSOWt (le so), tt. [Early mod. t,. also MSSOV 
fore the British Parliament in 1885. _ (also lease: see lease*), < ME. Uesevie, Useve, 
lese, < AS. J (gen. l&mce, dat. tawre, tew, pi. 
tame, lasswa, lose, laisa), a pasture.] A pasture. 
In men and cities, castels, fortresses, or other place* of 
defense, In medowes, feownwt, eta, 
HMnihed, Hen. II., an. 1173. 
William Bhenstone . . . first aaw the light on the patri- 
monial estate which his taste afterwards made so flBOn 
The Leasowes, Halea Owen, Shropshire. 
AUibone, Diet. Authors, p. 2072. 
same ult. origin.] 1. A contract transferring a lnm ^ to tne gr St admiration of the English nation, 
right to the possession and enjoyment of real an j aduantage of landlords and leasemongers. 
property for life or for a definite period of time Slow, King James, an. 1604. 
or at will, usually made in consideration of a leaser 1 ! (le ' zer), n. [= D. lexer, reader, = 
periodical compensation called rent, in modem oHG. lesari, lesdri, MHO. lesiere, User, O. User, leasowt (le'so).?. t. [Early mod. E. also USSOK; 
times usually payable in money ; but sometimes gleaner, a reader, = Icel.tear, a reader, = Dan. (leasow, n.] To feed or pasture. 
in a share of the produce, and in former times laser = Sw. lasare, reader, also a pietist; as Gently hte fair flocks leumc'd he along, 
lease 1 + -cr 1 .] One who leases or gathers ; a Through the frim pastures, freely at his leisure. 
,rl ( <;i ncr DraytoH, Moses. (Hares.) 
I looked upon all who were born here as only In the con- least 1 (lest), a. superl. [< ME. leste,Ust, last, < 
dition of leaner* and gleaners. Sv>\ft- AS. Icest, contr. of IffSOSt, lamest, Uercst, least, 
easer 2 (le'ser), . [< lease% + -cr 1 .] One who superl. of tes (adv. and a.), less (no positive in 
leases or lets; a lessor. use): see less 1 .] Smallest; little in size or de- 
frequently in services. The grantor or landlord Is 
called the lessor, the grantee the lessee. The act of the 
grantor is called a demise; the right of the grantee is 
called the term; his holding under It is called a tenancy. 
The right of the lessor to have possession again at the end 
of the term, or sooner in case of forfeiture, is called the 
reversion. If the grantor has only a term and grants the 
it even luootrw ui IOLB, t 10 uooy. ot o .j > 
lent If leaser 3 ! (le'zer), n. [< Uase* + -cr 1 .] One who gree, etc., beyond all others: answering as su- 
the grantor of a term retains any reversion, even for a sin- tells a falsehood ; a liar. 
gle day, the contract is a lease. A contract not transfer- lease-rod (les'rod), . In weaving, one of the 
surrlXshlrnel^ wooden rods usually of oval cross-section over 
but an agreement for a lease. A contract transferring such and under which the warp-threads in a loom 
a right to commence In enjoyment at a future day as, for are alternately passed in forming the lease, 
instance, one executed in tebruary to give possession in There are usually three of these rods, tied toge- 
May is a lease; but the right of the lessee for the in- , ., , ' s lea^ 
tervening period before the term is an 'n<rK termim. tner at ttte enOS. seifCflW". ,.,,.. 
The word lease is sometimes loosely applied to a letting of leash (lesh), n. [< ME. leesshe, leysche, lesshe , 
a var. of more orig. lease 5 (early mod. E. and 
uge j n 8e nse 3), < ME. lees, leese, leecr, 
'. laisse = It. lascio, < ML. 
tervening period before the term is an interesse termini. 
The word lease is 
personal property. 
2. The written instrument by which a lease- 
hold estate is created. The word is also loosely applied 
ade void 
perlative to little. 
I spied a wee wee man, 
He was the leant that elr I saw. 
The Wee Wee Man (Child's Ballads, L 126). 
For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to 
be called an apostle, because 1 persecuted the church of 
God. 1 Co'- * 
At least, at the least, not to say, or that one may not 
say, more than Is certainly true ; at the lowest degree : as, 
if he has not incurred a penalty, he at least deserves cen- 
sure ; it was two hours ago at the least. 
to oral contracts of letting, which, however, are m 
' U "" ' " C * 
lese, < OF. lesse, F. 
laxa, thong, a loose cord,< L. laxa, fern, of laxus, 
loose: see lax 1 .] 1. A band, lace, or thong; 
a snare. 
He is caught up In another let. 
Chaucer, Anelida and Arcite, 1. 233. 
S^^S^^-^trail^ BSK^j^^-t-^ 
of anything: as, to take property on a long They brought him to the heading-hill, 
lease; a short lease of life. 
In this laziness she [the soul] sleeps out her ZH,her 
V. hunderyd of his men he lost also, 
And nursis a thowsand alle lest. 
Generydes(K. E. T. S 
I. 2S36. 
One air gave both their lease of breath. 
Lowell, To Holmes on bis Birthday. 
3. The duration of tenure bv lease ; a term of 
term of life, In this death, in this grave, in this body. 
il'. Sermons, xvil. 
His hounds intill a leish. 
Young Watcn (Child's Ballads, HI. 304). 
(61) A pack of hounds, (c) A light line used to give the fal- 
con a short flight without releasing her altogether. It is 
His life is but a three days' lease. secured to the varvels on the bird's ankle. 
Lord Maxmll's Goodnight (Child's Ballads, VI. 168). B(Jt her [tne j law i l ',] too faithful leash doth soon retain 
Custodiam lease. See custodian. Emphyteutic Her broken flight attempted oft in vain, 
lease. Same as baU a longues anntes (which see, under Quartet, Emblems, v. 9. 
<-).- Improving lease. See improving, n. Lease A mon<? SDortsmen a brace and a half ; three 
&S3SSS& SEISMS: fc ttito creature/oHmy kind, especially greyhounds, 
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, devised to avoid the foxes, bucks, or hares ; hence, three things in 
statute of enrolments, which then required conveyances 
to be recorded, by taking advantage of the rule that a 
tenant in possession could take a release without any such 
act of notoriety. 
lease :t t, and w. [< ME. lees, les, leas, loose, 
false, < AS. leas, loose, false : see loose, a., which 
has taken the place of the more orijj;. le< 
lees).] I. a. False; lying; deceptive. 
\lacrobes 
That halt nat dremes false ne lees. 
He who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses 
The tempted witto dishonour. Milton, . L., U. 286. 
Circle of least confusion, see confusion. In the 
least, in the smallest degree ; at all. 
Acres. It Is giving you a great deal of trouble. 
Abs. Not in the least 1 beg you won't mention it No 
trouble In the world, I assure you. 
Sheridan, The Rivals, iv. 1. 
Least and mostt, all ; the whole of any number ; one 
anil all, great and small. Karen. Least common mul- 
tiple. See multiple. Method of least squares. See 
.Principle of least action. seeocKon Prin- 
ciple of least constraint. See enturnrinC. 
least 1 (lest), adi: superl. [< ME. lest, last, < AS. 
liest, contr. of lasast, Iccscst, Uerest } adv., superl. 
degree ; in a degree below all others : as, to re- 
ward those who least deserve it. 
len cmzens. . . tir-dwithtoyLbyfeAandbypayrs, With what I most enjoy contented Uast 
Crowned with Garlands, go to take the ayrs. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas s Weeks, 1. 5. Ieast 2 t, conj. An obsolete spelling of lest 1 . 
A leaih of nightcaps on his head, like the pope's triple leastways (lest'waz), adv. At least: an obso- 
crown. Hiddleton, Your Five Gallants, L 1. i e te O r colloquial form of leasticise. 
3. In weaving, one of the threads, cords, or wires There being ... no two birds in the hand worth one 
. 
Rom. of the Rote, 1. 8. 
. . lese goddei, that lyf haden neuer, 
extending between the parallel bars or shafts in the bush, as is well known -leastvayt in a contrairy 
of the heddles and having a loop or eye in the nse, which the meaningjs the same, 
middle for the reception of a warp-thread. See 
lieddlc. 
Tx)UEUiU0 . . . 9vw B\*untvt*t "' / M*" > -i ...-. . 
Made of stokkes & stonez. leash (lesh), v. t. [< leash, n.] To bind or se- 
Alliterative Poems (ed. Morris), U. 1719. '^Jre by a leash. 
II. H. Falsehood ; a lie. 
Of these twoo here was a shrewede lees. 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 1545. 
At every ende of the deyse 
Sate an erle, withowt lese. 
MS. Cantab. Ff. v. 48, f. 54. (BaUiweU.) 
Flanders of nede must with vs haue peace, 
Or els shee is destroyed wit" 
i. 
lease 4 (lez), . [Also leaze; < ME. 
Diclcent, Nicholas Nickleby, xxxvii. 
At leastways*, at least 
At least vraies, I flnde this opinion confirmed by a pretle 
deuise or embleme that Lucianus alleageth he saw. 
Puttfnham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 118. 
leastwise (lest'wiz), adr. [< least 1 + -wise.] 
At least: formerly used witn at, with the same 
force. [Now only colloq.] 
I have from Time to Time employ'd diver* of my best 
Friends to get my Liberty, at leastinse leave to go abroad 
upon BaU. Uuiall, Letters, U. <1. 
Connter- 
to which lease* is related as meatft is to meadow. 
Cf. tea 1 , which in the sense of ' pasture' is prob. 
in part due to lease* taken as a plural *lees.] 
1. A pasture. 
The niwe forest, 
That is in Sonthhamtessire, ... he louede mou, 
& astorede wel mid beates & lese. Rob. of Oloucetter. 
And at his heels, 
Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire 
Crouch for employment Shot., Hen. V., i. (MM.) 
leasing 1 (le'zing), n. [Verbal n. of lease 1 , t.] 
1. The act of gathering; gleaning. 2. An arm- 
ful of hay or corn, such, as is leased or gleaned. 
leasing2"(le'sing V )', g '[Verbal n. of Ucue 1 *, v.] leasyt (le'zi), a. please*, a., + -y.] < 
f The act of letting or taking on lease. feit ; fallacious ; misleading. 
.^IT leasing^ (le'zing). n. [< ME. Uesing, Using, 
leesyng, etc., < AS. ledsung (= Icel. lausiing), 
falsehood, verbal n. of ledsian, lie, < leas, false: 
see UaseS, loose.] The telling of lies; lying; 
a lie; falsehood; lying report. 
Now axe hem yef this be true, for thel sholde not be so 
hardy be-fore me to make yow * ^ ^ ^ ^ 
For studying therebie to make everle thing straight 
and casie, in smoothing and plsyning all things to much, 
never leaveth, whiles the sense itselfe be lefte both lowse 
and Uasie. Aschan, The Scholemaster, U. 
eati, leets (let), n. [Appar.,like lade*,lodei, 
ult. connected with AS. Icfdan, lead : see tenrf 1 .] 
1. A meeting of cross-roads. Hallittrll. 2. A 
watercourse or a trench for conveying water 
