Belee
/bɪˈliː/noun
An obsolete nautical adverb meaning toward or on the lee side, away from the wind.
Did you know?“Belee” survives mainly in historical nautical dictionaries, where the lee side meant the comparatively protected side of a ship or landmass.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hlewą
“Shelter or protection from wind”
Old English
Old English
hlēo
“Shelter, protection, or a sheltered place”
Middle English
Middle English
lee
“Shelter from the wind; the sheltered side”
Early Modern English
English
belee
“Toward the lee or sheltered side”
18th–19th Century
English
belee
“A nautical adverb meaning to leeward or toward the lee”
Modern English
English
belee
“Obsolete nautical term, now chiefly encountered in historical dictionaries”