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levee

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levee¹

  • /ˈlɛvi/ UK
  • /ˈlɛveɪ/ UK
  • /ˈlɛvi/ US
  • /ləˈvi/ US
  • /ləˈveɪ/ US

Sounds like levy (some pronunciations only), levy, Levy · Rhymes with -ɛvi, -ɛveɪ

Where it comes from

From French levée, from lever (“to raise, rise”).

noun levees · levée

  1. An elevated ridge of deposited sediment on the banks of a river, formed by the river's overflow at times of high discharge.
  2. An embankment to prevent inundation; as, the levees along the Mississippi.

    Similar: dike, floodwall

  3. US The steep bank of a river. The purchaser of a riparious estate under the words "front to the levee," does not acquire the alluvion or batture, when there is land susceptible of separate ownership beyond the levee.
  4. US The border of an irrigated field.
  5. US A pier or other landing place on a river.

verb levees · leveeing · leveed · levée

  1. US, transitive To keep within a channel by means of levees. to levee a river

levee²

  • /ˈlɛvi/ UK
  • /ˈlɛveɪ/ UK
  • /ˈlɛvi/ US
  • /ləˈvi/ US
  • /ləˈveɪ/ US

Sounds like levy (some pronunciations only), levy, Levy · Rhymes with -ɛvi, -ɛveɪ

Where it comes from

From French levé variant of the noun lever (“the act of getting up in the morning”).

noun levees · levée

  1. obsolete The act of rising; getting up, especially in the morning after rest. c. 1763, Thomas Gray, letter to Mr. Nichols And look before you were up in the morning, though you were a punctual courtier at the sun's levee
  2. A reception of visitors held after getting up.
  3. A formal reception, especially one given by royalty or other leaders. I must take my leave, for the Cardinal holds a levee to-day, and let those fail in attendance who want nothing.

verb levees · leveeing · leveed · levée

  1. transitive To attend the levee or levees of. He levees all the great.

Translations

Every language

noun embankment to prevent inundation

Españolmalecón, dique
हिन्दीतटबंध taṭbandh, बंधा bandhā
Portuguêsencosta, dique
Françaisdigue
DeutschDeich, Damm
Italianoargine
Русскийда́мба dámba, на́сыпь násypʹ

noun steep bank of a river

DeutschUferböschung

verb to levee a river

Deutscheindeichen

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Cite this
MLA

"levee." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/levee. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

levee. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/levee

Chicago

"levee." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/levee.

BibTeX
@misc{levee_2026,
  title = {levee},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/levee},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}