Les·seps 
(lĕsəps, lĕ-sĕps), Vicomte Ferdinand Marie de 1805-1894.
(lĕsəps, lĕ-sĕps), Vicomte Ferdinand Marie de 1805-1894. French diplomat and engineer who supervised the construction of the Suez Canal (1859-1869). He directed the company that began the Panama Canal (1882) but abandoned the project because of bankruptcy (1888).