different between riverbank vs levee

English

Etymology

From river +? bank

Noun

riverbank (plural riverbanks)

1. A sloped side of a river acting as a barrier between the water and level ground to either side.
   • 1900 — L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, ch 8

     "The best plan will be to walk along the riverbank until we come to the road again," remarked the Lion.

Translations

Anagrams

• Rivenbark

English

Alternative forms

• levée (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?l?vi/, /?l?v.e?/
• Rhymes: -?vi, -?ve?
• Homophone: levy (some pronunciations only)
• (US) enPR: lev'i, IPA^(key): /?l?vi/, /l??vi/, /l??ve?/
• Rhymes: -?vi
• Homophones: levy, Levy

Etymology 1

From French levée, from lever (“to raise, rise”).

Noun

levee (plural levees)

1. An embankment to prevent inundation; as, the levees along the Mississippi.
2. (US) The steep bank of a river.
3. (US) The border of an irrigated field.
4. (US) A pier or other landing place on a river.

Synonyms

• (embankment): dike, floodwall

Translations

Verb

levee (third-person singular simple present levees, present participle leveeing, simple past and past participle leveed)

1. (US, transitive) To keep within a channel by means of levees.

   to levee a river

Translations

Etymology 2

From French levé variant of the noun lever (“the act of getting up in the morning”).

Noun

levee (plural levees)

1. (obsolete) The act of rising; getting up, especially in the morning after rest.
   • c. 1763, Thomas Gray, letter to Mr. Nichols

     And look before you were up in the morning, though you were a punctual courtier at the sun's levee

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society 1973, p. 414:

     The sturdy hind now attends the levee of his fellow-labourer the ox […]

2. A reception of visitors held after getting up.
3. A formal reception, especially one given by royalty or other leaders.

Verb

levee (third-person singular simple present levees, present participle leveeing, simple past and past participle leveed)

1. (transitive) To attend the levee or levees of.
   • 1728, Edward Young, The Love of Fame

     He levees all the great.

Anagrams

• eleve, leeve

Old French

Verb

levee

1. feminine singular of the past participle of lever