Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Lew

//luː// adj, intj, name, noun, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Sunny; warm. obsolete
  2. 2
    Weak.
  3. 3
    Lukewarm, tepid. dialectal
  4. 4
    Sickly-looking, pale, wan.

    "Mi bodi wexit lewe."

  5. 5
    Alee: protected from the wind. dialectal

    "Lee or Lew, Calm, under the wind. Suss."

Intj
  1. 1
    Alternative form of lo or look: a cry to look at something. alt-of, alternative, obsolete

    "hence bot a litill / she commys, lew, lew! / shy bryngys in her bill / som novels new; / Behald! / It is of an olif tre / A branch, thynkys me."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A diminutive of the male given name Lewis.
  2. 2
    A diminutive of the male given name Lewis.; A male given name.

    "When Lew Wasserman reinvented the studio system, leadership skills grew harder to find and the number of modern studio conglomerates boiled down to six, as discussed in chapters 15 to 20."

  3. 3
    A surname.
Noun
  1. 1
    A French gold coin circulated in 15th-century Scotland. Scotland, obsolete

    "...þe Ingliss noble, henry, ande Eduarde wᵗ þe ross, þe franche crowne, þe salute þe lewe and þe Ridar sall haif courss in þis realme..."

  2. 2
    Warmth, heat. Scotland

    "To th' end a fruitfull lew May euerie Climate in his time renew."

  3. 3
    A shelter from the wind, particularly temporary structures raised by shepherds to protect their flocks. dialectal

    "Lew, shelter; defence from storms or wind."

Verb
  1. 1
    To make warm or lukewarm. transitive
  2. 2
    Alternative form of lue: to sift, particularly while mining tin or silver. alt-of, alternative, dialectal, transitive

    "Cornwall... The fine [sc. tin] is lewed in a fine sierce."

  3. 3
    To become warm. intransitive, obsolete
  4. 4
    To shelter from the wind. transitive

    "Lew... Those trees will lew the house when they're up-grown."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From corruption of French louis, from Louis, presumably Louis IX or Louis XI, who issued gold écus.

Etymology 2

From Middle English lew, lewe, from Old English hlēow, hlēowe (“warm, sunny, sheltered”), from Proto-Germanic *hlewaz, *hliwjaz, *hlēwaz (“warm, lukewarm”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱal(w)e-, *ḱlēw- (“warm, hot”). Cognate with Old Norse hlýr (“warm, mild”), ( > Danish ly (“lukewarm”)), hlær, German lau, which are themselves akin to Old Norse hlé (“lee”), Danish læ (“shelter”). Compare lee.

Etymology 3

From Middle English lew, lewe, from Old English hlēow, hlēowe (“warm, sunny, sheltered”), from Proto-Germanic *hlewaz, *hliwjaz, *hlēwaz (“warm, lukewarm”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱal(w)e-, *ḱlēw- (“warm, hot”). Cognate with Old Norse hlýr (“warm, mild”), ( > Danish ly (“lukewarm”)), hlær, German lau, which are themselves akin to Old Norse hlé (“lee”), Danish læ (“shelter”). Compare lee.

Etymology 4

From Middle English lew, lewe, from Old English hlēow, hlēowe (“warm, sunny, sheltered”), from Proto-Germanic *hlewaz, *hliwjaz, *hlēwaz (“warm, lukewarm”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱal(w)e-, *ḱlēw- (“warm, hot”). Cognate with Old Norse hlýr (“warm, mild”), ( > Danish ly (“lukewarm”)), hlær, German lau, which are themselves akin to Old Norse hlé (“lee”), Danish læ (“shelter”). Compare lee.

Etymology 5

Uncertain, but compare Old English ġelewed (“weakness, infirmity”) and limlǣweo (“limb-weak, lame”). Possibly related to Proto-Germanic *laiwą (“damage”); compare Old Norse læ (“venom, bane”).

Etymology 6

Variant of lo (q.v.).

Etymology 7

Variant of lue (q.v.).

See also for "lew"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Want a quick game? Try Word Finder.