English word origin

Etymology of Lea

From Old English lēa, the dative case of lēah (“meadow”).

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

An English surname from Middle English, a variant of Lee.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Old English lēa, the dative case of lēah (“meadow”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionlēaang

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "lēa"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English lēa"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lēa",
      "lea#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "lēah",
      "leah#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "An English surname from Middle English, a variant of Lee."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

name

A river in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and Greater London, England, also called the Lee, which flows into the River Thames at Poplar. · A village in Dethick, Lea and Holloway parish, Amber Valley borough, Derbyshire, England (OS grid ref SK3257). · A village and civil parish in south-east Herefordshire, England (OS grid ref SO6521). · A village and civil parish in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England (OS grid ref SD4930).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Old English Lyġe.

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "ang:Lyġe",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Lea\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Lea\">\nInherited from Old English Lyġe."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "ang:Lyġe",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Old English Lyġe."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Lyġe",
      "Lyge#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A river in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and Greater London, England, also called the Lee, which flows into the River Thames at Poplar.",
        "A village in Dethick, Lea and Holloway parish, Amber Valley borough, Derbyshire, England (OS grid ref SK3257).",
        "A village and civil parish in south-east Herefordshire, England (OS grid ref SO6521).",
        "A village and civil parish in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England (OS grid ref SD4930)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Lea →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-TGVh