*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Lee

From Old English lēa, the dative case of lēah (“meadow”), originally to denote someone who lived near a meadow.

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 5 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 1

Original entry ↗
name

An English topographic surname from Middle English. · A male given name. · A female given name. · A hamlet in Berrynarbor parish, North Devon district, Devon (OS grid ref SS5546).

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

From Old English lēa, the dative case of lēah (“meadow”), originally to denote someone who lived near a meadow.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionlēaang

This page abbreviates 19 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": "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 topographic surname from Middle English.",
        "A male given name.",
        "A female given name.",
        "A hamlet in Berrynarbor parish, North Devon district, Devon (OS grid ref SS5546)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "538bafc79547fbbd95c4f68c35fbc235af0a1b1a5a0e7a525229a7620d43db8e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fad031763cb9af29695c739cae09eccc1abdaa165fe6456a8a3f0446e03ea935",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328603
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 19,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A river in County Cork, Ireland.

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

From Irish Laoi, perhaps from an ancient personal name.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionLaoiga
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ga",
        "3": "Laoi"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish Laoi"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Laoi",
      "Laoi#Irish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A river in County Cork, Ireland."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "266564bf45895d8c22dd31a39eb5b7c306e20c58266536eaeb29fbf93f95c658",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b4887b295df3e08bba503350dcf6d49e083ab031ee64f8cf9e11ffc6ded71d29",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328604
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Chinese. · A surname from Cantonese. · A surname from Hokkien. · A surname from Teochew.

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

From Chinese: * Mandarin: 李 (Lǐ), and other less common surnames such as 黎 (Lí). * Cantonese: 李 (lei5), and other less common surnames such as 利 (lei6). * Hokkien: 李 (Lí), Teochew: 李 (li2). * Hakka: 李 (Lí).

This page abbreviates 2 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": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "^李"
      },
      "expansion": "李 (Lǐ)"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "^黎"
      },
      "expansion": "黎 (Lí)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "李",
        "tr": "lei5"
      },
      "expansion": "李 (lei5)"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "利",
        "tr": "lei6"
      },
      "expansion": "利 (lei6)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nan-hbl",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Hokkien"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "李",
        "tr": "Lí"
      },
      "expansion": "李 (Lí)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nan-tws",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Teochew"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "李",
        "tr": "li2"
      },
      "expansion": "李 (li2)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hak",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Hakka"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "李",
        "tr": "Lí"
      },
      "expansion": "李 (Lí)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "李",
      "李#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "黎",
      "黎#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "李",
      "李#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "利",
      "利#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "李",
      "李#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "李",
      "李#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "李",
      "李#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Chinese.",
        "A surname from Cantonese.",
        "A surname from Hokkien.",
        "A surname from Teochew."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "be011487e90960a7c230180ea941524994e442296a7d0af4cdec2e1a6acbb1a6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9b01fc980347f27ed5d56aaf1d5093ad47407fdbc43cf83ba60751a6793c634b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328605
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 2,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Korean; alternative form of Rhee.

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

Transcription of Korean 이(李) (I) and 리(李) (Ri).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ko",
        "3": "^이(李)"
      },
      "expansion": "Korean 이(李) (I)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "이(李)",
      "이#Korean"
    ],
    [
      "리(李)",
      "리#Korean"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Korean; alternative form of Rhee."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "955f31d764e8fbc7d3a9ca766da2fbc90293774436f309cbe4324f8462cb11f9",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7218b0fd870a6355bdb31a6c4fc3c67f2d8f5a2959ab7f77f5f79749c52a511c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328606
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗
name

A male given name. · A nickname for various given names with the first syllable as Lee; Clipping of Leo, Leroy.

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

A diminutive.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A male given name.",
        "A nickname for various given names with the first syllable as Lee; Clipping of Leo, Leroy."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "8553424a57d076bc59ea523c366a125190fc46773462816992242bef672c292f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "367f9d33d1b1a05b1da7cd41d37fcbcde2ac1a8a03b009bbbcab3954ba53fbb2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328607
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 Lee →

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-TGVl