WordGarden.ioley
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /lˈeɪ/
US
- /ˈleɪ/
Meanings
Noun
arable land temporarily sown with grass or clover for pasture
Beyond the definition
You might not see the word "ley" very often in everyday English, but it has a quiet place in farming language. Pronounced like "lay," it usually means a field that is planted with grass or clover for a limited time, often so the soil can recover between other crops. In older or literary use, it can also mean a meadow or grassy open place. The word often brings to mind calm, green land rather than something wild or rough.
The word "ley" is a variant of the more common "lea," and both come from the Old English lēah, a word for a clearing, meadow, or open piece of land. It is an old word, and today it is seen most often in farming and land-related writing.
In farming, a "ley" is usually a temporary grassland. A farmer may plant a field with grass or clover for a few years instead of growing grain or other crops there the whole time. This gives the soil a chance to improve before the field is used for crops again. Because of that, the word is closely tied to crop rotation and careful use of the land.
In older or more poetic English, "ley" can also refer to a meadow or grassy stretch of open country. That sense is less common now, but it still appears in place names, older texts, and writing that wants a soft, rural feeling.
You may also notice the word inside the phrase "ley line," but that is a separate fixed expression and should not be taken as the main meaning of the word on its own. Also, although Spanish uses ley for "law," that is a different word with a different history. In English, "ley" belongs to the language of fields, meadows, and working land.
Examples
- 1
Field rotation
The farmer left the field as a ley for two years before planting wheat again.
- 2
Grazing land
Sheep grazed on the grass ley through the spring.
- 3
Ley lines
Some visitors believe a ley line runs from the old church to the stone circle.
- Phraseley line
an imaginary line said to connect ancient or special places
See also
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- leynoun
Forms
- leyspluralnoun