/liːv/, /liːv/
OriginFrom Middle English leven, from Old English lǣfan (“to leave”), from Proto-West Germanic *laibijan, from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (“to let stay, leave”), causative of *lībaną (“to stay, remain”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick; fat”).
Cognate with Old Frisian lēva (“to leave”), Old Saxon lēvian, Old High German leiban (“to leave”), Old Norse leifa (“to leave over”) (whence Icelandic leifa (“to leave food uneaten”), Swedish leva (“to leave”)), lifna (“to be left”) (whence Danish levne). More at lave, belive.
The noun is attested since the 19th century, with earliest references to billiards.
- transitiveTo cause or allow (something) to remain as available; to refrain from taking (something) away; to stop short of consuming or otherwise depleting (something) entirely.
“I left my car at home and took a bus to work.”
“The ants did not leave so much as a crumb of bread.”
“There's not much food left. We'd better go to the shops.”
- copulative, intransitive, transitiveTo cause, to result in.
“The lightning left her dazzled for several minutes.”
“Infantile paralysis left him lame for the rest of his life.”
“She left disappointed.”
- transitiveTo put; to place; to deposit; to deliver, with a sense of withdrawing oneself.
“Leave your hat in the hall.”
“We should leave the legal matters to lawyers.”
“I left my sewing and went to the window to watch the falling snow.”
- transitiveTo let be or do without interference.
“I left him to his reflections.”
“I leave my hearers to judge.”
“I'll leave it to you to decide.”
- transitiveTo depart from; to end one's connection or affiliation with.
“I left the country and I left my wife.”
“I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some tim”
- transitiveTo end one's membership in (a group); to terminate one's affiliation with (an organization); to stop participating in (a project).
“2018, The Independent, "Brexit: Theresa May 'not bluffing' in threat to leave EU without a deal, Tory minister Liam Fox says"
If we were to leave, the economic impact on a number of European countries”
“I left the band.”
- euphemistic, transitiveTo die (the object denotes those affected by the death).
“The other evening Sheri called to tell me that Connie had left us, and that I will never again be able to hold my pot luck supper plate on my knee and listen to Connie's wonderful talk or see her slow”
- intransitiveTo depart; to go away from a certain place or state.
“I think you'd better leave.”
- transitiveTo transfer possession of after death.
“When my father died, he left me the house.”
- transitiveTo give (something) to someone; to deliver (something) to a repository; to deposit.
“I'll leave the car in the station so you can pick it up there.”
- transitiveTo transfer responsibility or attention of (something) (to someone); to stop being concerned with.
“Can't we just leave this to the experts?”
- intransitive, obsoleteTo remain (behind); to stay.
“And whanne sire launcelot sawe them fare soo / he gat a spere in his hand / and there encountred with hym al attones syr bors sir Ector and sire Lyonel / and alle they thre smote hym atte ones with th”
“Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,[…]. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or priv”
- archaic, transitiveTo stop, desist from; to "leave off" (+ noun / gerund).
“When he had leeft speakynge, he sayde vnto Simon: Cary vs into the depe, and lett slippe thy nette to make a draught.”
“I will learn to leave these fruitless tears …”
“Now leave Complaining, and begin your Tea.”
- transitiveTo give leave to; allow; permit; let; grant.
- intransitive, rareTo produce leaves or foliage.
“Each Morn a thousand Roses brings, you say:
Yes, but where leaves the Rose of Yesterday?”
- obsoleteTo raise; to levy.
“[…]au^([sic – meaning an]) army ſtrong ſhe leau'd,[…]”
- The action of the batsman not attempting to play at the ball.
“He made 45 leaves in his innings of 64.”
- The arrangement of balls in play that remains after a shot is made (which determines whether the next shooter — who may be either the same player, or an opponent — has good options, or only poor ones).
“Having counted 38 points he tried a beautiful massé out of the corner, hit the first ball just a trifle too hard and kissed his own ball off just when victory seemed to be his. The leave was unfortuna”
- The tiles remaining on a player's rack after his or her turn.
“I didn't score much, but LING was a good leave.”
- countable, uncountablePermission to be absent; time away from one's work.
“I've just been given three weeks' leave by my boss — I don't think I still have some leave owing to me.”
- countable, dated, uncountablePermission.
“Might I beg leave to accompany you?”
“The applicant now seeks leave to appeal and, if leave be granted, to appeal against these sentences.”
“Since I have your good leave to go away, / I will make haste: but, till I come again, / No bed shall e'er be guilty of my stay, / Nor rest be interposer 'twixt us twain.”
- countable, dated, uncountableFarewell, departure.
“I took my leave of the gentleman without a backward glance.”
Formsleaves(present, singular, third-person) · leaving(participle, present) · left(participle, past) · left(past) · leave(infinitive) · leave(first-person, present, singular) · left(first-person, past, singular) · leave(present, second-person, singular) · leavest(archaic, present, second-person, singular) · left(past, second-person, singular) · leftest(archaic, past, second-person, singular) · leaveth(archaic, present, singular, third-person) · left(past, singular, third-person) · leave(plural, present) · left(past, plural) · leave(present, subjunctive) · left(past, subjunctive) · leave(imperative, present) · -(imperative, past) · leaves(plural)