Alee
/əˈliː/noun
On or toward the side of a vessel that is sheltered from the wind.
Did you know?Alee is formed from the preposition “a-” meaning “on” or “toward” plus “lee,” an Old English word for shelter or protection from the weather.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
Old English
hlēo
“Shelter, protection, or a place shielded from wind”
Middle English
Middle English
le
“Shelter from wind; the protected side”
15th–16th Century
English
a lee
“On or toward the sheltered side of a ship”
17th Century
English
alee
“A nautical direction away from the wind”
Modern English
English
alee
“Toward or on the leeward side of a vessel”