ledger 
lie's a leiijer at Horn's ordinary yonder. 
R. JotutiH, Kvery Man out of his Humour, iv. 4. 
4f. A commission-agent: a name formerly given 
to a Londoner who bought coals of the rouni ry 
colliers at go much a sack, and made his chief 
profit by using smaller sacks, making pretense 
he wiis a conn try collier. This was termed '<;/' ''- 
("'/ Hares. 
II. t " 1. Lying in a certain place ; laid; laid 
up ; stationary ; fixed. 
For humour* to Ho leidijer they arc seen 
oft in a tavern, and a bowling-green. 
Randolph, Poems. 
It happened that a stage-player borrowed a rusty mus- 
ket, which hud lien long leijer in his shop. 
Fuller, \Vorthies, London. 
2. Uosident, as an ambassador. 
You have dealt discreetly, to obtain the presence 
Of all the grave leii/er ambassadors 
To hear Victoria's trial. Webnter, White Devil. 
Return not thou, but leffier stay behind, 
And move the Qreeklsh prince to send us aid. 
Fairfax, tr. of Tasso, 1. 70. 
ledger 2 , a. See leger*. 
ledger-bait (lej'cr-bat), . A bait fixed or 
made to remain in one place, used in fishing. 
You may flsh for a Pike either with a ledger or a walk- 
ing (wrtf; and you are to note that I call that a Ledijer- 
linii which is nxed or made to rest in one certain place 
when you shall be absent from it ; and I call that a Walk- 
ing-bait which you take with you, and have ever In mo- 
tion. 1. tt'ttliiiii. Complete Angler, p. 135. 
ledger-blade (lej'er-blad), n. In cloth-shearing 
machines, the fixed straight-edged blade which 
co-acts with a spiral blade or plades on a re- 
volving cylinder, upon the principle of a shears, 
and which trims off so much of the nap from 
cloth as to reduce it to a uniform length and 
give an even surface to the fabric. 
ledger-book (lej'6r-buk), n. [Formerly also 
lii/i'r-book, ligicr-book; < ledger 1 + book.'] A 
book that lies or is kept in a fixed place. Spe- 
cifically (a) A monastic cartulary. Hattiiceu. (6) A book 
of accounts now usually ledijer. Scefedyerl, n., 2. 
I find In the said ligier boote a note of the sayd Erros, 
of all such goods as he left. Halcluyt's Voyages, II. 98. 
This ledijer-boulc lies In the brain behind, 
Like Janus eye, which in his poll was set 
Sir J. Davits, Immortal, of Soul, xxl. 
ledging (lej'ing), n. [< ledge 1 + -ing 1 .] A 
ledge; also, ledges collectively. [Rare.] 
ledgment (lej'ment), n. [< ledge 1 + -ment.] 
In arch.: (ti) A course of horizontal moldings, 
as the base-moldings of a building. (6) The 
development of the surface of any solid on a 
plane, so that the dimensions of its different 
sidesmay readily be obtained. Alsoledgement, 
and formerly liggement, legentent. 
ledgment-table (lej'ment-ta'bl), n. In arch., 
the projecting part of a pliiith. Compare earth- 
table. 
ledgy(lej'i),a. [< ledge* + -y 1 .] Abounding in 
ledges. 
Ledidae (led 'i -de), n. pi. [NL., < Leda + 
-/</.] A family of dirayarian bivalve mollusks. 
The mantle- 
margin is free- 
ly open ; the 
siphonal tubes 
are elongate, 
retractile, and 
more or less 
united; thegills 
are narrow and 
plume-like ; the 
labial palps are 
appendlcnlate and elongate ; the foot is compressed and 
deeply grooved ; the shell is pearly within and oblong ; the 
hinge has numerous transverse teeth ; and the ligament 
is either external or internal. The Ledidre are called 
beaktd mitfhdl*. About 80 species are known as inhabi- 
tants of the cold and temperate seas, 
ledon-giim (le' don-gum), . [< Gr. lijiov, < 
Pers. Milan, an Oriental shrub, + E. gum : see 
ladanum.'] The ladanum derived from Cistun 
Beaked Nutshell (LtJa borcalM. 
Ledum (le'dum), H. [NL. (Linnteus), < Gr. 
>?/<!oi>, ladanum: see ladanum.'] Agenusoferi- 
caceous plants of the tribe Rhodorra: It Is char- 
acterized by a 5-toothed calyx and a 5-cellcd pod which 
contains many small thin seeds having a loose coat The 
plants are low shrubs with white flowers, and entire, more 
or less fragrant leaves. There are about 4 or 5 species, 
inhabiting the collier and arctic regions of the northern 
hemisphere, commonly known as Labrador tea. The leaves 
of L. lat((Mum are said to have been used in the, colonies 
for tea during t he war of independence. L. pahtgtre, called 
marsh-tea and "//,/ rnsemary, was formerly used in north- 
ern Europe in malt liquors, and is said to be turned to ac- 
count in Russia for tanning. The genus also occurs in a 
fossil state. Ledum-oll, oil of Ledum, un essential oil 
distilled from L. palustre. 
lee 1 (le), H. and a. [< ME. lee, le, shelter, < AS. 
him. a eontr. form of Medif, a covering, shelter, 
> ME. /<. E. dial. Inr, shelter: see /etc 1 . In 
3397 
the naut. sense lee (like D. lij = G. Ire) is of 
Sciind. origin: Icel. tile = Dan. / = Hw. la, 
lee (of a ship); but ef. In-irnnl in the 2d pron., 
usif s|H-llei| liinriinl. The udj. in def. 2 is pe- 
culiar to Sc. (also spelled lei, lie), and may be 
of diff. origin.] I. n. 1. Shelter. 
Tliennu he lurkkes A laytes where watz le best. 
AUiteratioe Poena (ed. Morris), ill. 277. 
2. The quarter toward which the wind blows, 
as opposed to that from which it proceed* ; also, 
the shelter afforded by an object interposed 
which keeps off the wind: almost exclusively 
a nautical term. 
Though sorely buffeted by ev'ry sea, 
Our hull unbroken long may try a lee. 
Falconer, Shipwreck, II. 
Away the good ship flies, and leaves 
Old England on the lee. 
A. Cunningham, A Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea. 
To lay or bring (a ship) by the lee. see bring. Under 
the lee (naut.}, on that side which is sheltered from the 
wind ; on the side opposite to that against which the wind 
blows ; In a position protected from the wind ; under 
shelter : as, under Uteleeuta ship or of the land. 
Swiftly they glided along, close under the lee of the island. 
Longfellow, Evangellne, ii. 2. 
II. a. 1. Naut., of or pertaining to the part 
or side toward which the wind blows, or which 
is sheltered from the wind : opposed to iceatlier: 
as, the lee side of a vessel. 
Cachit hom with cables & castyng of ancres, 
And logget hom to lenge In that le hauyn. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. 8.), 1. 476. 
2. Lonely. [Scotch.l-Lee lurch. See lunhL- 
Lee shore, the shore under the lee of a ship, or that 
toward which the wind blows. Lee tide, a tide running 
In the same direction as the wind Is blowing. 
lee'-'t, " An obsolete form of lea 1 . 
lee 3 (le), v. and n. A dialectal (Scotch) form of 
Ke'A 
lee 4 (le), . An obsolete or dialectal form of 
lee 5 (le), 11. [Early mod. E. lye (in pi. lyes), < 
ME. lie, pi. lies, < OF. F. lie = Pg. lia, < ML. lia, 
pi. Hie, lees, the sediment in wine ; origin un- 
known.] The grosser part of any liquor which 
has settled on the bottom of a vessel; dregs; 
sediment: as, the lees of wine : usually in the 
plural, lees, which is sometimes treated as a sin- 
gular. 
With tarrere or gymlet perce ye vpward the pipe ashore, 
And so shalle ye not cawse the lien vp to ryse, y warne yow 
euer more. Babees Book (E. E. T. H.), p. 1-21. 
I will drink 
Life to the tec*. Tenmjmn, Ulysses. 
lee-board (le'bord), H. [= G. leebord = Icel. lile- 
bordli; as lee 1 + board.] One of two long flat 
pieces of wood 
attached one on 
each side of 
a flat-bottomed 
vessel (as a 
Dutch galiot) 
by a bolt on 
which it tra- 
verses. When 
the vessel is close- 
hauled the board 
on the lee side is 
let down, reach- 
ing below the keel, 
and when the ship 
is listed over by 
the wind it resists 
the tendency to 
drift too fast to 
leeward. 
lee-bow (le'bou), v. t. [< lee bate, the lee side 
of the bow.] 1. \aut., to run ahead and get 
underneath the lee bow of: as, to lee-bow a ves- 
sel while fishing. Hence 2. To take advan- 
tage of in any way: as, to lee-bow one in trade. 
[Colloq.] 
leech 1 (lech), n. [Also leach; < ME. leeche, leche, 
< AS. Icece (rarely, and irreg., Iceca) (= OFries. 
Ifka, let;a, leischii = OHG. Idkki, Idchi = Dan. 
liege = Goth, lekeis), a physician (cf. Icel. liek- 
nir, Sw. lakare, a physician, from the associated 
verbs); perhaps < AS. lac, a medicine, lit. ' some- 
thing given' (cf. dose, of same sense), a particu- 
lar use of Itif, a gift, present, offering, sacrifice, 
also a battle, struggle, < Idcan, play, dance (see 
lake 2 ); but lac, a medicine, may be of diff. origin. 
Cf . Ir. liaiq, a physician, OBulg. lekii, medicine, 
lekarf, a physicia'n, ete. _In another view, not at 
all probable, the word laire is supposed to have 
been orig. associated directly with the notion of 
'dancing,' with ref. to the magical formulas of 
primitive leeehcraft. Hence leech?, .] A phy- 
sician ; a medical practitioner; a professor of 
the art of healing. [Now chiefly poetical.] 
leech-fee 
For whoso llste hare helynge of his trche, 
To hyin Iiehi. ivfli llntt unwry his wounde. 
Chaucer, Trollns, L 867. 
Make war breed peace, make peace stint war, make each 
Prescribe to other as each other's Itech. 
Shale., T. of A., v. 4.84. 
leech 1 (loch), r. t. [< ME. leechen, lechtn = Dan. 
Itn/t: = Sw. liil.-n, heal ; also, with formative -n, 
Ml), i' i-l> n icn, < AS. tdcnian, Itecnan = Icel. Helena 
= Goth. li'llHiion, heal ; from the noun, AS. Icece, 
etc.. a physician: see leech 1 , .] To treat with 
medicaments; heal; doctor. 
Lame men ho lechede with longen of best**. 
Pirn nutrman (CX tat. 180. 
Let those leech his wounds for whose sake he encoun- 
tered them. Scott. 
leech 2 (lech), . [< ME. leche, < AS. laJct (= MD. 
ii" '!:), a leech (the worm so named ), a particular 
use (not foundin other languages) of leech 1, with 
ref. to the medicinal value of these worms : see 
in iji J .\ 1. An aquatic, more or less parasitic, 
and blood-sucking worm ; a suctorial ordiscoph- 
orous annelid of the order Jfirutliuta. There are 
several families, many genera, and numerous species of 
these worms. Most of them live In fresh-water ponds 
and streams, some in moist herbage, and a few In the sea. 
The body Is segmented as In other annelids, hut the cross- 
lines on the surface are only superficial, and do not corre- 
spond to the anatomical segmentation. There is a sucker 
at each end of the body, that at the head end being armed 
Dutch Galiot. with Lee-boards. 
Longitudinal Vertical Section of Leech (HirMjo mttiifittalit'i. 
a, mouth ; t>, b, b, sacculation of alimentary canal ; c. anus ; d, ter- 
minal sucker ; <, central ganglia ; /, /, chain of postesophageal gan- 
glia; f.f.f.seKntental organs. 
with biting Jaws. The body Is nsnally flattened, broadest 
toward the tall, but tapering to each end; the color Is 
generally dark, variously mot lied, striped, or dotted with 
lighter or brighter color. The ordinary medicinal leech 
belongs to a genus known as llirudo or Sanyuiaiga, In 
which there are three jaws In the form of small white 
serrated teeth which inflict the peculiar trlradiate leech- 
bite. The common brown, speckled, or English leech is 
H. or S. medicinali (officinafa), of which the Hungarian 
green or officinal leech, II. or S.officinali*, Is a variety. The 
European horse-leech is llcemoj/i Ktnyvuorba. Another 
species, Aiiliirtiniiit ffulo, is also called haneJeech. Some 
leeches attain a length of SJ feet, as Macroudtlla raldi- 
viana. Macrobdella decora is an American leech. Ich- 
tliiii'Mclln punctata is a leech found on the whitensh in 
the Great Lakes. Leeches are used In medicine to extract 
blood by sucking It 
2. Figuratively, one who, as it were, sucks the 
blood or steals the substance of his victim, or 
persistently holds on for sordid gain.- Artificial 
leech, or mechanical leech, a small cupping Instrument 
used for drawing blood. 
leech 2 (lech), r. t. [< leechV, i.] To apply 
leeches to. for the purpose of bleeding. 
leech 3 (lech), H. [Also leach; not found in ME.; 
< Icel. lik, a leech-line, = Dan. lig = 8w. lit, a 
bolt-rope, = MD. lyken, a bolt-rope; further ori- 
gin obscure.] Xaut., the perpendicular or slop- 
ing edge of a sail. In fore-and-aft sails only the after 
edge is called the leech, the forward edge being called the 
luff. 
leech 4 , v. and n. See IcacM. 
leeehcraft (lech'kraft), H. [Also leachcraft; < 
ME. leche-craft, < AS. hece-cricft, the art of medi- 
cine, a medicine, < Itece, a leech, physician, + 
crieft, craft.] 1. The art of healing. [Archaic.] 
We study speech, but others we persuade ; 
We leach^rafl learn, but others cure with It. 
Sir J. Daviet, Immortal, of Soul, Int. 
2f. Medical attendance. 
My leche crafleanA fesyk, and rewardys to them that have 
kept me and oondyt me to London, hath cost me sythe Estern 
Day more than v ii. Potion Lettert, III. 7. 
leechdom (lech'dmn), n. [< ME. leehedom, < AS. 
ISceddm (= OHG. Idcliintuom, lahhitoam, lah- 
tiiinii, Idhtom, MHG. Idchcntluom, lechentuom = 
Icel. Itfkidomr = Dan. la-geilom), medicine, a 
medicine, < lave, physician, leech, + dom, law, 
jurisdiction: see leech 1 and -dom.'] 1. Medi- 
cine. 2. A medicine; a medical formula. 
[Obsolete or archaic in both uses.] 
Some of these charms are of Eastern origin, many src 
found in Greek and Latin writers, many are Scandinavian, 
and one, at least, Is given as Gaelic. They are ItccMomt, 
and not witchcraft, at least in name ; and from their fre- 
quent use of Holy Writ they evidently had priestly sanc- 
tion. X. and ., 7th scr., III. 278. 
leech-eater (lech'e'ter), n. A kind of plover 
found in Egypt, either Hoploplerus spinogns or 
riiii-iiinrtlitx ii'i/i/ptiiu. 
leechee (le-chl')i See lichi. 
leecher (le'cher), H. [< leei-lft. r., + -!.] One 
who applies leeches in the treatment of dis- 
ease ; one who lets blood. 
leech-fee (lech'fe),N. A physician's fee. [Rare.] 
