Leave

//liːv// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The action of the batsman not attempting to play at the ball.

    "He made 45 leaves in his innings of 64."

  2. 2
    Permission to be absent; time away from one's work. countable, uncountable

    "I've just been given three weeks' leave by my boss — I don't think I still have some leave owing to me."

  3. 3
    the act of departing politely wordnet
  4. 4
    The arrangement of balls in play that remains after a shot is made (which determines whether the next shooter — who may be either the same player, or an opponent — has good options, or only poor ones).

    "Having counted 38 points he tried a beautiful massé out of the corner, hit the first ball just a trifle too hard and kissed his own ball off just when victory seemed to be his. The leave was unfortunate for Ives. Slosson played brilliantly and ran the game out, a close winner, with 22 points."

  5. 5
    Permission. countable, dated, uncountable

    "Might I beg leave to accompany you?"

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    permission to do something wordnet
  2. 7
    The tiles remaining on a player's rack after his or her turn.

    "I didn't score much, but LING was a good leave."

  3. 8
    Farewell, departure. countable, dated, uncountable

    "I took my leave of the gentleman without a backward glance."

  4. 9
    the period of time during which you are absent from work or duty wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To have a consequence or remnant.; To cause or allow (something) to remain as available; to refrain from taking (something) away; to stop short of consuming or otherwise depleting (something) entirely. transitive

    "I left my car at home and took a bus to work."

  2. 2
    To give leave to; allow; permit; let; grant. transitive
  3. 3
    To produce leaves or foliage. intransitive, rare

    "Each Morn a thousand Roses brings, you say: Yes, but where leaves the Rose of Yesterday?"

  4. 4
    To raise; to levy. obsolete

    "[…]au^([sic – meaning an]) army ſtrong ſhe leau'd,[…]"

  5. 5
    leave unchanged or undisturbed or refrain from taking wordnet
Show 25 more definitions
  1. 6
    To have a consequence or remnant.; To cause, to result in. copulative, intransitive, transitive

    "The lightning left her dazzled for several minutes."

  2. 7
    be survived by after one's death wordnet
  3. 8
    To have a consequence or remnant.; To put; to place; to deposit; to deliver, with a sense of withdrawing oneself. transitive

    "Leave your hat in the hall."

  4. 9
    leave behind unintentionally wordnet
  5. 10
    To depart; to separate from.; To let be or do without interference. transitive

    "I left him to his reflections."

  6. 11
    go and leave behind, either intentionally or by neglect or forgetfulness wordnet
  7. 12
    To depart; to separate from.; To depart from; to end one's connection or affiliation with. transitive

    "I left the country and I left my wife."

  8. 13
    go away from a place wordnet
  9. 14
    To depart; to separate from.; To end one's membership in (a group); to terminate one's affiliation with (an organization); to stop participating in (a project). transitive

    "2018, The Independent, "Brexit: Theresa May 'not bluffing' in threat to leave EU without a deal, Tory minister Liam Fox says" If we were to leave, the economic impact on a number of European countries would be severe."

  10. 15
    move out of or depart from wordnet
  11. 16
    To depart; to separate from.; To die (the object denotes those affected by the death). euphemistic, transitive

    "The other evening Sheri called to tell me that Connie had left us, and that I will never again be able to hold my pot luck supper plate on my knee and listen to Connie's wonderful talk or see her slow, almost impish smile."

  12. 17
    leave or give by will after one's death wordnet
  13. 18
    To depart; to separate from.; To depart; to go away from a certain place or state. intransitive

    "I think you'd better leave."

  14. 19
    transmit (knowledge or skills) wordnet
  15. 20
    To transfer something.; To transfer possession of after death. transitive

    "When my father died, he left me the house."

  16. 21
    put into the care or protection of someone wordnet
  17. 22
    To transfer something.; To give (something) to someone; to deliver (something) to a repository; to deposit. transitive

    "I'll leave the car in the station so you can pick it up there."

  18. 23
    remove oneself from an association with or participation in wordnet
  19. 24
    To transfer something.; To transfer responsibility or attention of (something) (to someone); to stop being concerned with. transitive

    "Can't we just leave this to the experts?"

  20. 25
    produce as a result or residue wordnet
  21. 26
    To remain (behind); to stay. intransitive, obsolete

    "And whanne sire launcelot sawe them fare soo / he gat a spere in his hand / and there encountred with hym al attones syr bors sir Ector and sire Lyonel / and alle they thre smote hym atte ones with their speres /[…]/ and by mysfortune sir bors smote syre launcelot thurgh the shelde in to the syde / and the spere brake / and the hede lefte stylle in his syde"

  22. 27
    make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain wordnet
  23. 28
    To stop, desist from; to "leave off" (+ noun / gerund). archaic, transitive

    "When he had leeft speakynge, he sayde vnto Simon: Cary vs into the depe, and lett slippe thy nette to make a draught."

  24. 29
    act or be so as to become in a specified state wordnet
  25. 30
    have left or have as a remainder wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English leven, from Old English lǣfan (“to leave”), from Proto-West Germanic *laibijan, from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (“to let stay, leave”), causative of *lībaną (“to stay, remain”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick; fat”). Cognate with Old Frisian lēva (“to leave”), Old Saxon lēvian, Old High German leiban (“to leave”), Old Norse leifa (“to leave over”) (whence Icelandic leifa (“to leave food uneaten”), Swedish leva (“to leave”)), lifna (“to be left”) (whence Danish levne). More at lave, belive. The noun is attested since the 19th century, with earliest references to billiards.

Etymology 2

From Middle English leven, from Old English lǣfan (“to leave”), from Proto-West Germanic *laibijan, from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (“to let stay, leave”), causative of *lībaną (“to stay, remain”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick; fat”). Cognate with Old Frisian lēva (“to leave”), Old Saxon lēvian, Old High German leiban (“to leave”), Old Norse leifa (“to leave over”) (whence Icelandic leifa (“to leave food uneaten”), Swedish leva (“to leave”)), lifna (“to be left”) (whence Danish levne). More at lave, belive. The noun is attested since the 19th century, with earliest references to billiards.

Etymology 3

From Middle English leve, from Old English lēaf (“permission, privilege”), from Proto-Germanic *laubō, *laubą (“permission, privilege, favour, worth”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“to love, hold dear”). Cognate with obsolete German Laube (“permission”), Swedish lov (“permission”), Icelandic leyfi (“permission”). Related to Dutch verlof, German Urlaub, Erlaubnis, Verlaub. See also love.

Etymology 4

From Middle English leven, from Old English līefan (“to allow, grant, concede; believe, trust, confide in”), from Proto-West Germanic *laubijan, from Proto-Germanic *laubijaną (“to allow, praise”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“to love, hold dear”). Cognate with German erlauben (“to allow”), German glauben (“to believe”), Icelandic leyfa (“to allow”).

Etymology 5

From Middle English leven, from lef (“leaf”). More at leaf.

Etymology 6

From French lever. Compare levy. Compare also Middle English leve, a variant of levy that may have been monosyllabic.

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