lias

L1I1A1S1
UK, US/ˈliəs/

noun

A type of blue limestone present in parts of southern England and Wales.

OriginOld French liois ← Medieval Latin liae ← Celtic →
UncommonScrabble 4
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Meanings

lias1

nounlias (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA type of blue limestone present in parts of southern England and Wales.
  2. uncountableAlternative letter-case form of Lias.

Lias2

proper noun
  1. geographyA stratigraphic group from the lower Jurassic of Western Europe, consisting of thin layers of blue limestone.
  2. obsoletegeographyThe lower Jurassic.
  3. A surname.

LIAs3

noun
  1. pluralplural of LIA

Origin

lias · noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*legʰ-“to lie (down)”
  2. Proto-Celtic*legyā
  3. Gaulish*ligyā
  4. Celtic
  5. Medieval Latinliae
  6. Old Frenchliois“compact limestone”
  7. Englishlias

Originally dialectal, from Old French liois (“compact limestone”) (French liais), from Medieval Latin liae, plural of lia; doublet of lees (which is via Latin lias). Ultimate origin uncertain, possibly a Celtic word (such as Gaulish *ligyā) from Proto-Celtic *legyā, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie (down)”). Compare Loire and Leicester.

More words from Old French, Medieval Latin, Celtic

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Lias · proper noun

See lias.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

LisasailIslaIlsaSilalaissialLasi
Cite this entry
APA

lias. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lias

MLA

“lias.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lias. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lias,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lias.

Source: lias on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.