1. Nautical. The side away from the direction from which the wind blows.
2. An area sheltered from the wind: in the lee of the boulder.
3. Cover; shelter.

1. Nautical. Of or relating to the side sheltered from the wind: the lee gunwale.
2. Located in or facing the path of an oncoming glacier. Used of a geologic formation.

[Middle English le, from Old English hlēo, shelter, protection.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.