ley1
/leɪ
/(also temporary ley)
noun
A piece of land put down to grass, clover, etc., for a single season or a limited number of years, in contrast to permanent pasture.The farm is down to clover leys for grazing and silage plus oats, wheat and beans for feeding out of parlour in a total mixed ration, with all cows receiving the same amount of feed....
- The sheep and cattle all run together on swards, which are predominately white clover mixtures, and Howard told me that the mixed stocking and the highly nutritious clover leys have a big bearing on the way his livestock thrive.
- Housing, feeding and slurry facilities were already adequate, which freed up spare capital for reseeding fields with clover-rich leys.
Origin
Old English lǣge 'fallow' (recorded in lǣghrycg 'ridge left at the edge of a ploughed field'); related to lay1 and lie1.
ley2
/leɪ/ /liː /(also ley line)
noun
A supposed straight line connecting three or more prehistoric or ancient sites, sometimes regarded as the line of a former track and associated by some with lines of energy and other paranormal phenomena.Some are new-age mystics convinced that the Christian route to Santiago is just the latest version of a more ancient pathway linking ley line to ley line....
- The myths include the idea that Oxford Road is built on a ley line and so is believed by some to be an energy centre.
- Up until about an hour ago I had been the only person I knew who even knew what a ley line was, let alone could actually use them, but the rule still applied.
Origin
1920s: variant of lea.