What is "lea"

Lea \Lea\, n. [Cf. Lay, n. (that which is laid), 4.] (Textile Manuf.)

1. A measure of yarn; for linen, 300 yards; for cotton, 120 yards; a lay.

2. A set of warp threads carried by a loop of the heddle.

Lea \Lea\, n. [OE. ley, lay, As. le['a]h, le['a]; 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.

Old English leah "open field, meadow, piece of untilled ground," earlier læch, recorded in place names, from Proto-Germanic *laukhaz (cognates: Old High German loh "cluster of bushes," and probably also Flemish -loo, which forms the second element in Waterloo), from PIE *louquo- (cognates: Sanskrit lokah "open space," Latin lucus "grove," Lithuanian laukas "open field"), perhaps from or related to *leuk- "to shine, be bright" (see light (n.)).

Etymology 1 alt. an open field, meadow n. an open field, meadow Etymology 2

n. 1 Any of several measures of yarn; for linen, 300 yards; for cotton, 120 yards; a lay. 2 A set of warp threads carried by a loop of the heddle.

1. n. a unit of length of thread or yarn

2. a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock [syn: pasture, pastureland, grazing land, ley]

Léa is a 2011 French drama film directed by Bruno Rolland. It was entered into the Chicago International Film Festival 2011 and the Cinemania Film Festival 2011.

Lea is the second album by Lea Salonga, presenting a danceable R&B sound. The album received favourable reviews for its diverse mix of American-style R&B and easy listening ballads, and became her first multi-platinum album.

Lea is an English surname. It originating from the Old English Lēah, which predates the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. After the Norman Conquest, an infusion of Norman, French, and Latin entered into the lexicon of England, resulting in the development of multiple spelling and phonetic variants of the surname. Examples of these variations include the more common version of the surname, "Lee", as well as less common versions, such as Lei, Ley, and Leigh. Whereas the "a" is silent in Lea, it is often mistakenly pronounced with an "ah" sound at the end of the name.

The surname Lea means "meadow", "pasture", "field", or an open clearing of space in a wooded area. There are analogous names in other Germanic languages such as "Loo" in Dutch or "Lōh" in Old High German, with identical meanings.

Lea is still a surviving surname in areas of southern and northern England. Lea has also existed in North America since 1608 with the arrival of the English immigrant William Lea (son of Nicholas Lea, Waterford County, Ireland [Englishman not Irish]) to what is now King and Queen County in the Virginia Colony. Leas were among some of the very first immigrants to come to North America from England in the 17th century, and historically hailed from the southern United States in places such as Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Leas in the 19th century spread into the upper Midwest as well, and by the mid-20th century had reached as far west as southern California. Today, "Lea" comprises a very small percentage of the English surnames in the United States, with some American Leas able to trace back their ancestry to William Lea or one of his two brothers who came with him to Virginia in 1608.

Lea is a Czech drama film. It was released in 1997.

Lea (first name and dates unknown) was an English first-class cricketer associated with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) who was active in the 1800s. He is recorded in one match in 1807, totaling 0 runs with a highest score of 0.

The lea or lay was a British unit of length.

The Oxford English Dictionary describes it as a measure "of varying quantity" and cites quotations from within various areas of the textile industry which define it as "80 yards" (1888 note on a 1399 text), "200 Threds reel'd on a Reel four yards about" (1696), "each lay containing 200 yards" (1704", "eighty threads" (1776), "forty threads" (1825), "300 yards" (1882) and "in worsted 80 yards; in cotton and silk 120 yards" (1885).

Cardarelli has asserted that it had a fixed value of 360 feet.

Lea is a feminine given name. In French the name Léa is the biblical name Leah (given name). In Spanish the same name is Lía, and in Italian Lia.

Notable people with the given name Lea include:

• Saint Lea, third century Catholic saint
• Lea Antonoplis (born 1959), American tennis player
• Lea DeLaria (born 1958), American comedian, actress and jazz musician
• Lea Gottlieb (1918–2012), Hungarian-born Israeli fashion designer
• Lea Hernandez (born 1964), American comic book and webcomic artist
• Lea Massari (born 1933), Italian actress
• Lea Maurer (born 1971), American swimmer and coach
• Lea Michele (born 1986), American actress and singer
• "Lea" Helena Nordheim (1903–1943), Dutch Olympic champion gymnast
• Lea Padovani (1920–1991), Italian actress
• Lea Pericoli (born 1935), Italian tennis player
• Léa Pool (born 1950), Swiss-Canadian filmmaker
• Lea Salonga (born 1971), Filipino singer and actress; star of the musical Miss Saigon
• Léa Seydoux (born 1985), French actress and model
• Lea Sölkner (born 1958), Austrian retired alpine skier
• Lea Stevens (born 1947), Australian politician
• Lea Sunshine, American singer
• Lea Thompson (born 1961), American actress