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Lea
(Lea), n. [OE. ley, lay, As. leáh, leá; akin to Prov. G. lon bog, morass, grove, and perh. to L. lucus
grove, E. light, n.] A meadow or sward land; a grassy field. "Plow-torn leas." Shak.
The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea. Gray. Leach
(Leach) n. (Naut.) See 3d Leech.
Leach
(Leach), n. [Written also letch.] [Cf. As. leáh lye, G. lauge. See Lye.]
1. A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali.
2. A tub or vat for leaching ashes, bark, etc.
Leach tub, a wooden tub in which ashes are leached.
Leach
(Leach), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Leached ; p. pr. & vb. n. Leaching.] [Written also leech and
letch.]
1. To remove the soluble constituents from by subjecting to the action of percolating water or other
liquid; as, to leach ashes or coffee.
2. To dissolve out; — often used with out; as, to leach out alkali from ashes.
Leach
(Leach), v. i. To part with soluble constituents by percolation.
Leach
(Leach), n. See Leech, a physician. [Obs.]
Leachy
(Leach"y) a. Permitting liquids to pass by percolation; not capable of retaining water; porous; pervious; —
said of gravelly or sandy soils, and the like.
Lead
(Lead) n. [OE. led, leed, lead, AS. leád; akin to D. lood, MHG. lot, G. loth plummet, sounding
lead, small weight, Sw. & Dan. lod. &radic123.]
1. (Chem.) One of the elements, a heavy, pliable, inelastic metal, having a bright, bluish color, but
easily tarnished. It is both malleable and ductile, though with little tenacity, and is used for tubes, sheets,
bullets, etc. Its specific gravity is 11.37. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an
ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic weight, 206.4. Symbol Pb It is chiefly obtained from the
mineral galena, lead sulphide.
2. An article made of lead or an alloy of lead; as: (a) A plummet or mass of lead, used in sounding at
sea. (b) (Print.) A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing. (c) Sheets or
plates of lead used as a covering for roofs; hence, pl., a roof covered with lead sheets or terne plates.
I would have the tower two stories, and goodly leads upon the top. Bacon 3. A small cylinder of black lead or plumbago, used in pencils.
Black lead, graphite or plumbago; — so called from its leadlike appearance and streak. [Colloq.] —
Coasting lead, a sounding lead intermediate in weight between a hand lead and deep-sea lead. —
Deep- sea lead, the heaviest of sounding leads, used in water exceeding a hundred fathoms in depth.
Ham. Nav. Encyc. — Hand lead, a small lead use for sounding in shallow water. — Krems lead,
Kremnitz lead [so called from Krems or Kremnitz, in Austria], a pure variety of white lead, formed
into tablets, and called also Krems, or Kremnitz, white, and Vienna white. — Lead arming, tallow put
in the hollow of a sounding lead. See To arm the lead — Lead colic. See under Colic. — Lead
color, a deep bluish gray color, like tarnished lead. — Lead glance. (Min.) Same as Galena. —
Lead line (a) (Med.) A dark line along the gums produced by a deposit of metallic lead, due to lead
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