levee
UK/'levi/US
GREC2
Definitions
n.
A long bank built along a river to stop it from flooding
防洪堤，河堤
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom French levée, 'a raising' (from levāre, to lift). A levee is a raised bank of earth — literally something lifted up alongside a river to hold the water back. The word entered American English along the Mississippi.
Root lev still carries 12 more wordsUsage Guide
Pronounced /'levi/, the same as levy — context tells them apart (a flood levee vs. a tax levy). Mainly an American word; British English usually says embankment or flood bank.
Example Sentences
- 1.
The rising river finally broke through the levee, flooding the town.
- 2.
Engineers spent years raising the levee along the Mississippi.