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leave¹

(lēv)

v. left (lĕft), leav·ing, leaves

v.tr.

1. To go out of or away from: not allowed to leave the room.

a. To go without taking or removing: left my book on the bus.

b. To omit or exclude: left out the funniest part of the story.

3. To have as a result, consequence, or remainder: The car left a trail of exhaust fumes. Two from eight leaves six.

4. To cause or allow to be or remain in a specified state: left the lights on.

a. To have remaining after death: left a young son.

b. To bequeath: left her money to charity.

6. To give over to another to control or act on: Leave all the details to us.

a. To abandon or forsake: leave home; left her husband.

b. To remove oneself from association with or participation in: left the navy for civilian life.

a. To give or deposit, as for use or information, upon one's departure or in one's absence: He left a note for you. Leave your name and address.

b. To cause or permit to be or remain: left myself plenty of time.

9. Nonstandard To allow or permit; let.

v.intr.

To set out or depart; go: When can you leave?

Phrasal Verb:

leave off

1. To stop; cease.

2. To stop doing or using.

Idioms:

leave/let alone

To refrain from disturbing or interfering.

leave no stone unturned

To make every possible effort.

[Middle English leaven, from Old English lǣfan; see leip- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

leaver n.

Usage Note: In formal writing leave is not an acceptable substitute for let in the sense "to allow or permit." Thus in the following examples, only let should be used: Let me be. Let him go. Let us not quarrel. This use of leave is normally edited out of written prose but remains common in speech. · Leave alone is an acceptable substitute for let alone in the sense "to refrain from disturbing or interfering with." As far back as 1968, a majority of the Usage Panel approved the following example: Leave him alone, and he will produce. Some people feel that leave alone should mean simply "to depart from someone who remains in solitude," as in They were left alone in the wilderness. There is no harm in observing this restriction, but expecting it of others is unrealistic.

let¹

(lĕt)

v. let, let·ting, lets

v.tr.

1. To give permission or opportunity to; allow: I let them borrow the car. The inheritance let us finally buy a house. See Usage Note at leave¹.

2. To cause to; make: Let the news be known.

a. Used as an auxiliary in the imperative to express a command, request, or proposal: Let's finish the job! Let x equal y.

b. Used as an auxiliary in the imperative to express a warning or threat: Just let her try!

4. To permit to enter, proceed, or depart: let the dog in.

5. To release from or as if from confinement: let the air out of the balloon; let out a yelp.

6. To rent or lease: let rooms.

7. To award, especially after bids have been submitted: let the construction job to a new firm.

v.intr.

1. To become rented or leased.

2. To be or become assigned, as to a contractor.

Phrasal Verbs:

let down

1. To cause to come down gradually; lower: let down the sails.

2. To withdraw support from; forsake.

3. To fail to meet the expectations of; disappoint.

let on

1. To allow to be known; admit: Don't let on that you know me.

2. To pretend.

let out

1. To come to a close; end: School let out early. The play let out at 10:30.

2. To make known; reveal: Who let that story out?

3. To increase the size of (a garment, for example): let out a coat.

let up

1. To slow down; diminish: didn't let up in their efforts.

2. To become less severe or intense: The rain let up.

Idioms:

let alone

Not to mention; much less: "Their ancestors had been dirt poor and never saw royalty, let alone hung around with them" (Garrison Keillor).

let go

To cease to employ; dismiss: had to let 20 workers go.

let off on Informal

To cause to diminish, as in pressure; ease up on: Let off on the gas so that we do not exceed the speed limit.

let (one's) hair down

To drop one's reserve or inhibitions.

let (someone) have it Informal

1. To beat, strike, or shoot at someone.

2. To scold or punish.

let (someone) in on

1. To reveal (a secret) to someone: They finally let me in on their plans.

2. To allow someone to participate in (something).

let up on

To be or become more lenient with: Why don't you let up on the poor child?

[Middle English leten, from Old English lǣtan; see lē- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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