levee
levee Lexical Profile
levee Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A natural or artificial embankment, ridge, or wall built along the banks of a river or sea to prevent the overflow of water and protect adjacent land from flooding.
"Engineers reinforced the earthen levee along the Mississippi River before the spring melt arrived."
American A paved landing place, quay, or pier along a river where vessels load and unload passengers and cargo.
"Steamboats once lined the cobblestones of the St. Louis levee to take on bales of cotton."
A formal reception held by a monarch, head of state, or royal representative, historically taking place in the morning upon rising from bed.
"Ambassadors and nobles gathered in the palace anteroom to attend the king's morning levee."
• verb
North American To furnish or enclose with an embankment in order to confine a river or prevent flooding.
"The state agency decided to levee the lower stretches of the floodplain to protect nearby farmland."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'levee' (an embankment built to prevent flooding) with its homophone 'levy' (to impose or collect a tax or fine).
• Rhymes for levee
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from French 'levée', the feminine past participle of 'lever' ('to raise'), from Latin 'levare' ('to lift' or 'to make light'). The hydrological sense entered American English via Louisiana French in the 18th century, while the royal reception sense referred to a monarch's formal rising from bed.