leave 
If they [the Mound-Builders] found forests in the val- 
leys they occupied, these were cleared away to make room 
for thuir towns, . . . and when . . , they finally left, or 
were driven away, a long period must have elapsed before 
the trees began to grow freely. 
Baldwin, Anc. America, p. 50. 
3f. To give over; cease; leave off. 
He searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the 
youngest. Gen. xliv. 12. 
Let us leave, and kiss ; 
Lest some unwelcome guest should fall betwixt us. 
And we should part without it. 
Beau, and Fl,, Philaster, i. 2. 
To leave Off, to cease ; desist ; stop ; make an end. 
But when you find that vigorous heat abate, 
Leave off, and for another summons wait. 
Roscwnmon, Translated Verse, 1. 309. 
So soon as we have dined, we will down again to the 
little house : where I will begin, at the place I left of, 
about fly-fishing. Cotton, in Walton's Angler, ii. 261. 
leave 1 t(lev),M. [(leave 1 , .] A leaving; some- 
thing left or remaining. 
Then he's taen up the little boy [from the side of his dead 
mother]. 
Rowed him in his gown sleeve; 
Said, " Tho' your father s to my loss, 
Your mother 's to me leave." 
Birth of Robin Hood (Child's Ballads, V. 385). 
leave 2 (lev), n. [< ME. leve, leef, < AS. leaf, 
permission, = D. -lof in urlof, permission, = 
MHG. Joule, G. laube, also -laub in ur-lauV, ver- 
laub, permission, = Icel. lof (also leyfi), per- 
mission, = Dan. Im = Sw. lof, permission, a 
secondary noun, in relation with ledf, dear, 
gelyfan, believe: see lief, belief, believe, leeve.'] 
1 . Liberty granted to do something, or for some 
specific action or course of conduct; permis- 
sion; allowance; license. 
Youre comaundement to kepe to kare forthe y caste me, 
My lorde, with your leue, no longer y lette yowe. 
York Plays, p. 274. 
In this banishment, I must take leave to say you are un- 
just. Beau, and Fl., Scornful Lady, i. 1. 
O! Liberty is a fine thing, Flippanta ; it's a great Help 
in Conversation to have leave to say what one will. 
Vanbrugh, Confederacy, i. 
Specifically 2. Liberty to depart; permission 
to be absent : as, to take leave. See below. 
Hath he set me any day 
Agones that ihc me grethi may, 
And nyme lyue of mine kenesmen, 
And myne frend that with me beon? 
King Horn (E. E. T. S.), p. 47. 
Furloughed men returned in large numbers, and before 
their leases had terminated. N. A. Rev., CXXVI. 93. 
Absent with leave, absent without leave. See absent. 
By leave, or by leave of court in law, having sanction 
from the court or a judge for the taking of a proceeding : 
sometimes required to be had in advance to prevent vexa- 
tious proceedings, as in the case of a leave to sue in a re- 
cent judgment of the same court ; or for the better pro- 
tection of the person asking it, as in the case of a receiver 
about to bring a suit who will not be charged with costs 
in case of a failure if he obtains leave to sue. Leave Of 
absence. See absence. On leave. See furlough. To 
break leave (naut.). See break. To catch leavet. 
See catefti. To take French leave. See French. To 
take leave, (a) To receive (assume) permission : as, I 
take leave to consider the matter settled. Especially (6) 
Originally, to receive formal permission, as from a supe- 
rior, to depart ; now, to part with some expression of fare- 
well ; bid farewell or adieu. 
And Paul . . . took his leave of the brethren, and sailed 
thenca into Syria. Acts xviii. 18. 
Hah! old Rowley! egad, you are just come in time to 
take leave of your old acquaintance. 
Sheridan, School for Scandal, iv. 1. 
=Syn. Leave, Liberty, License. These words imply that 
the permission granted may be used or not. Leave is the 
lightest, is generally personal, and is used on familiar oc- 
casions. Liberty is more often connected with more im- 
portant matters ; it indicates full freedom, and perhaps 
that obstacles are completely cleared from the path. Li- 
cense, primarily the state of being permitted by law, may 
retain this meaning (as, license to sell intoxicating drinks), 
or it may go so far as to mean that unlawful or undue ad- 
vantage is taken of legal permission or social forbearance : 
as, liberty easily degenerates into license. 
leave 2 (lev), v. t.; pret. and pp. left, ppr. leav- 
ing. [< ME. leiten, < AS. lyfan, lefan, permit, 
also in comp. alyfan, gelyfan, permit (= OHG. 
ir-louben, ar-louben, ar-lauban, er-laupan, er- 
louben, MHG. er-louben, G. er-lauben = Icel. 
leyfa = Goth, us-laubjan, permit), < leaf, per- 
mission: see leave 2 , n."] To give leave to ; per- 
mit; allow; let; grant. 
God leve it be my best 
To telle it the. Chaucer, Troilus, 1. 597. 
[The Middle English form leve (that is, as usually written, 
leue) is often confounded in manuscripts and early printed 
editions with lene, to grant, lend. 
He [God] knoweth what is covenable to every wyht 
and leueth [var. leneth\ hem that he wot that is covenable 
to hem. Chaucer, Boethius, iv. prose 6.] 
Whether Esau were a vassal I leave the reader to judge. 
Locke. 
[The verb leave'-, permit, allow, is generally confused with 
(enrol, permit to remain, quit, etc., from which, however, 
3394 
it differs in construction. Leave? is now generally fol- 
lowed by an indirect object of the person, and an infinitive 
with to: as, I leave you to decide. In vulgar speech leave 
is often used for let without to: as, leave me be ; leave me 
go.] 
leave 3 (lev), v.i.; pret. and pp. leaved, ppr. leav- 
ing. [< leaf i, .] Same as leaf. 
Ieave 4 t (le v )> * [< F - lever, raise: see lever' 1 -, 
levy 1 .'] To raise ; levy. 
And after all an army strong she leav'd, 
To war on those which him had of his realme bereav d. 
leccherye 
of the tribe ArabulciK, distinguished by the nar- 
row pod, straight embryo, and winged seeds. 
They are low herbaceous annuals or biennials with lyrate- 
pinnatind leaves and yellow, purplish, or white flowers on 
elongated pedicels. There are 3 species, which may be 
reducible to one, L. Michauxii, a native of Alabama. 
leaver 1 (le'ver), . One who leaves or relin- 
quishes; a fovsaker. 
Ieaver 2 ti n. An obsolete spelling of lever 1 . 
leaves, n. Plural of leaf. 
, had of hi (reahne bereav d leave-silvert, . In old forest-Uw, same as 
bpenser, *. ., 11. x. n. rf g 
ing a leaf or leaves, in leave-taking (lev'ta"king), n. The taking of 
r 
To horse . 
And let us not be dainty of leave-taking, 
But shift away. Shak., Macbeth, ii. 3. 150. 
leaved (levd), a. Having 
*\sur i u, \->" /J c liV 1 A\*** \f~ Vt***AJ-i, V**-' * *"* ' "~e/7 "' O 
any sense of that word; made with leaves or i eave - parting speech; farewell salutation, 
folds : used in composition : as, a two-leaved 
gate. Also leafed. 
This ruddy shine issued from the great dining-room, 
whose two-leaved door stood open, and showed a genial 
fire in the grate. Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, xii. 
A double hill ran up his furrowy forks 
Beyond the thick-tamed platans of the vale. 
Tennyson, Princess, iii. 
leayeless 1 (lev'les), a. [< leave 2 , n., + -less.~\ 
Without leave. [Rare.] 
Within an vie me thought I was, 
Where wall and yate was all of glasse, 
And so was closed round about 
That leauelesse none come in ne out. 
The Ide of Ladies. 
Ieaveless 2 t, o-. A rare variant of leafless. 
A leaveless branch laden with icicles. 
B. Jonson, Masque of Beauty. 
(le'vi-nes), n. 
leaving (le'ving), n. [< ME. levynae, verbal n. 
of leave 1 , v.] If. Departure; death. 
The aungelle gaf hym in warnynge 
Of the tyme of hys levynge. 
MS. Cantab, ft. ii. 38, f. 243. (Halliwell.) 
2. That which is left; a remnant or relic; 
refuse : nearly always in the plural. 
My father has this morning call'd together, 
To this poor hall, his little Koman senate, 
The leavings of Pharsalia. Addison, Cato, i. 1. 
leaving-shop (le'ving-shop), . An unlicensed 
pawnshop. Dickens, Our Mutual Friend, ii. 12. 
leave-looker (lev'luk'er), . In English and L C eav ^ft stamp. See stamp. 
Welsh municipal law, a licensed or authorized i eavyt (le'vi), a. An obsolete variant of leafy. 
inspector. In Chester the function of these officers was l e b an leben (leb'an, -en), n. [Alsolebban; < 
to discover non-freemen exercising any trade within the . . , 1 A common Arabic bpveraffp con- 
liberties of the city, in order that a tax might be imposed AT. (eoa. J A c< mmon Araoic coverage, co 
on them. In Denbigh their function was to see that the sistmg of coagulated sour milk, often diluted 
bread sold was of full weight, and to inspect weights and with water, 
measures. lebardet, An old spelling of leopard. 
The Leavelookers [of Chester] are also appointed annual- Lebel UH See qun 1 . 
ly by the mayor for the purpose of collecting a duty of 2s. T Ivi-JR, nrnpoon SPP, nrnrp?? 
6d. claimed ly the corporation to be levied yearly upon LeblanC process, feee process. 
all non-freemen who exercise any trade within the liber- LecaniUlll (le-ka m-um), n. \_Nlj., <. Irr. 
ties of the city of Chester. ~ J '~ l - * - T -~ 4 n * " "* 
Municip. Corp. Report, 1835, p. 2621. 
leaven 1 !, n. See leven 1 . 
leaven 2 (lev'n), n. [Formerly also leven, levin; 
< ME. levain, levein, < OF. levain, F. levain = Pr. 
levam, < ML. levamen (also, in reflection of the 
a dish, pot, pan, a hod.] A genus of scale-in- 
sects, typical of a subfamily Lecanimce. It is 
universally distributed, and contains several cosmopolitan 
species. Signoret has catalogued 61 species, but many re- 
main undescribed. L. hesjjeridum is found all over the 
world; it is a great pest in hothouses, and infests the 
orange, the lemon, the ivy, and many other plants. 
He is the leveyne of the bred, 
Whiche soureth alle the paste aboute. 
Gower. 
OF., levanum; also levamentum), leaven, < L. lecanomancy (lek'a-no-man-si). . [<Gr.Atra- 
levamen, that which raises, an alleviation, < le- vo/iavrela, dish-divination, < /.enavn, a dish, pan, 
vare, raise: see levy 1 .'} 1. A substance that po t (< ?^ KO f, a dish, plate, pan, pot), + uavreia, 
produces or is designed to produce fermenta- divination. Cf. teanwS/uavnCi a dish-diviner.] 
tion, especially in dough ; specifically, a mass of Divination by throwing three stones into water 
fermenting dough, which, mixed with a larger } n a basin and invoking the aid of a demon, 
quantity of dough or paste, produces fermeuta- Lecanora (lek-a-no'rii), n. [NL., so called in 
tion in it and renders it light. r ef. to the form of th'e shields, < Gr. 'Mnavri, u 
dish: see lecanomancy.'] A genus of lichens, 
type of the family Lccanorei. The thallus is eras- 
taceous, chiefly uniform, but sometimes lobed on the mar- 
gin, or very rarely slightly suffruticose. The apothecium 
is scutelliform ; the spores are 4- to many-celled, rarely 2- 
to 4-celled, and vary from ellipsoidal to oblong or even elon- 
gated-fusiform. The spermatia are of various more or less 
lengthened forms, and placed on nearly simple sterigmata. 
The species are very numerous ; some of them are used in 
dyeing, especially L. tartarea. (See cudbear.) Another 
species so used is L. pattescem, which includes the light 
and white crottles of Scotland and England. (See crotttes'l. ) 
The species L. esculenta and L. affinis, found from Algiers 
to Tatary, appear to grow unattached, and are said to be 
borne through the air in large quantities. They serve as 
food for man and beast in times of scarcity, and are called 
manna-lichens. 
The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a 
woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the 
whole was leavened. Mat. xiii. 83. 
2. Something that resembles leaven in its ef- 
fects, as some secret or impalpable influence 
working a general change, especially a change 
for the worse. 
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sad- 
ducees. Mat. xvi. 6. 
So t hun . Posthumus, 
Wilt lay the leaven on all proper men ; 
Goodly and gallant shall be false and perjured, 
From thy great fail. Shak., Cymbeline, iii. 4. 64. 
eid. 
fermentation in ; raise and make light, as dough -ate 1 .] A salt of lecanoric acid 
or paste. Lecanorei (lek-a-no're-i), n. pi. [NL., < Leca- 
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 1 Cor. v. 8. nora + -ei.~] A family of lichens, typified by the 
9 To imbiin- work nnrm bv snmp, invisible or genus Lecanora. It is included in the tribe Parinelia- 
f"? fl ' J? Si, from the other divisions of which it is distinguished 
powerful influence. by ' a CI . U8ta ceous thallus. 
Beware, ye that are magistrates, their sin doth leaven lecanoric (lek-a-nor'ik), rt. [< Lecanora + -ic.] 
you all. Latimer, 2d Sermon bef. Edw. VI., 1550. R e i ate d to or derived from plants of the genus 
Lecanora. Lecanoric acid. Same as lecanorin. 
Iecanorin(lek-a-n6'rin), n. [< Lecanora + -in 2 .] 
A crystalline substance (CigHiiO?) obtained 
by Schunck from Lecanora tnrtureu and other 
lichens employed in the manufacture of cud- 
bear. 
leaven; the act of exciting fermentation in lecanorine (lek-a-no'rin), a. [< Lecanora + 
anything. -inc.'] Resembling or pertaining to Lecanora; 
Tro. Have I not tarried? especially, imitating its orbicular, disk-like 
Pan. Ay, the bolting: but you must tarry the leavening, apothecium 
Shak., T andC.,t 1. 20. lecanoroid (lek-a-no'roid), a. [< Lecanora + 
2. That which leavens or makes light. ^,jrf.] Resembling Lecanora; belonging to the 
leavenoust (lev'n-us), a. [Formerly also lev- Lecanorei. 
enous; < leaven 2 + -OHS.] Containing leaven ; leccam (lek'am), n. A dialectal form of likam. 
hence, imbued ; tainted. Wae o wae 
[Their] unsincere and levenous doctrine, corrupting the That ever thou was born ; 
people, first taught them looseness and bondage. For come the King o' Elfland in, 
Milton, Eikonoklastes. Thy leccam is forlorn ! 
Leavenworthia (lev-en-wer'thi-ii), . [NL.] Child Kou-iand (Child's Ballads, i. 260). 
A genus of North American cruciferous plants leccheryet, . An obsolete form of lechery. 
3. To ripen; mature. [Rare.] 
No more evasion : 
We have with a leaven'd and prepared choice 
Proceeded to you. Shak., M. for M., L 1. 52. 
leavening (lev'n-ing), . [Verbal n. of leaven 2 , 
t 1 .] 1. The act of making light by means of 
