leigh

L1E1I1G2H4
/ˈliː/[ˈlɪi̯]/liː//laɪ/

noun

A meadow.

OriginMiddle English legh ← Old English lēah ← Proto-Germanic *lauhaz →
CommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

leigh1

nounleigh (plural leighs)

plural leighs · alternative lea · alternative ley · alternative -leigh · alternative -ley · alternative -ly

  1. archaicA meadow.

Leigh2

proper nounLeigh (countable and uncountable, plural Leighs)

plural Leighs · alternative Lee

  1. countableuncountableA surname from Middle English, variant of Lee.
  2. countableuncountableA unisex given name transferred from the surname.
    1. UKcountableuncountableA female given name, Female equivalent of Lee.
  3. A number of places in England:
    1. countableuncountableA town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester (OS grid ref SD6500).
    2. countableuncountableA village and civil parish in Dorset (OS grid ref ST6108).
    3. countableuncountableThe Leigh, a hamlet and civil parish in Tewkesbury borough, Gloucestershire (OS grid ref SO8626).
    4. countableuncountableA village and civil parish in Sevenoaks district, Kent (OS grid ref TQ5446). Former spelling: Lyghe.
    5. countableuncountableA civil parish in East Staffordshire district, Staffordshire, which includes Church Leigh, Lower Leigh and Upper Leigh.
    6. countableuncountableA village and civil parish in Mole Valley district, Surrey (OS grid ref TQ2246).
    7. countableuncountableA village and civil parish in north Wiltshire (OS grid ref SU0692).
    8. countableuncountableA small village and civil parish (served by Leigh and Bransford Parish Council) in Malvern Hills district, Worcestershire (OS grid ref SO7853).

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
meadow

Origin

leigh · noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*lówkos“field, meadow”
  2. Proto-Germanic*lauhaz“meadow”
  3. Old Englishlēah“clearing in a forest”
  4. Middle Englishlegh
  5. Englishleigh

From Middle English legh, lege, lei (“clearing, open ground”) from Old English lēah (“clearing in a forest”) from Proto-Germanic *lauhaz (“meadow”), from Proto-Indo-European *lówkos (“field, meadow”). Akin to Old Frisian lāch (“meadow”), Old Saxon lōh (“forest, grove”) (Middle Dutch loo (“forest, thicket”); Dutch -lo (suffix forming place names)), Old High German lōh (“covered clearing, low bushes”), Old Norse ló (“clearing, meadow”). More at Waterloo.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Leigh · proper noun

  1. Old Englishlēah“wood, meadow”
  2. EnglishLeigh

From the nominative case of Old English lēah (“wood, meadow”), 'dweller by the wood or clearing'.

More words from Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with leigh

thebyibewemyfreeheseeemerebbuytdhighshedepgthreevy
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

leaLeaLeeLeighliLiLieleaLeeleighlilailielye
Cite this entry
APA

leigh. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/leigh

MLA

“leigh.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/leigh. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “leigh,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/leigh.

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