leja

• (dated, 19th-century form) leija

From earlier (19th-century) leija, from Proto-Baltic *ley-ya-, from *ley-ā, from Proto-Indo-European *l̥-ey, from the zero grade of *el-, *Heh₃l- (“to bend, to incline”) (whence also elkonis (“elbow”), q.v.) with a suffix -ey. The meaning probably evolved as follows: “bent inward” > “inwardly bent earth”, “valley” > “lower area.” Cognates include Gothic 𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌰𐍂𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌾𐌰 (undarleija, “lower, smaller”), Ancient Greek λειμών (leimṓn, “humid, grassy place, humid meadow”) (lower places are often humid).^[1]

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leja f (4th declension)

1. low area, low place, below (place located below, with respect to something else)

   pa leju mājai garām šaujas motociklets ― a motorcycle ran by in the low area along the house

   Lība palika stāvam un ostīja gaisu: kaut kur no lejas uzvēdīja svešāada smarša ― Lība remained standing and sniffed the air: somewhere from below a strange smell was spreading

2. (in genitive, used adjectivally) lower side, lower part, bottom (of something)

   lejas stāvs ― the lower (i.e., first) floor

   te bija lejas aula baznīca ar zaļo skārda jumtu ― here was the lower village church with a green tin roof

   tumšajā lejas gaitenī klusēdami izklīst skolēnu pulciņi ― the small groups of studnets silently dispersed in the dark lower corridor

3. (in locative, used adverbially) down, below, at the bottom, in a lower area (of some place)

   lejā pagalmā spēlējās bērni ― down in the yard the children were playing

   izgāju pat uz balkona; dzīli lejā zem manis slīdēja automašīnas un trolejbusi ― I went out on the balcony; deep down under me cars and trolleys slid by

   un tad tepat lejā pie Varžupīte tie karkli ― and then right here (they are), down by the Varžupīte (river), these willows

   tieši zem nišas bija divi galdiņi; nišā varēja dzirdēt katru vārdu, ko tie tur lejā runāja ― right under the niche there were two little tables; in the niche it was possible to hear every word which they said down there

4. (geography) valley

   upes, strauta leja ― river, creek valley

   dziļa leja ― deep valley

   krūmiem aizaugusi leja ― a valley overgrown with bushes

   lejas nogāze ― valley slope

   starp diviem kalniem vēsā lejā / svēts, vientuļš klosteris glabājās ― in a cool valley between two mountains / a holy, lonely monastery kept itself

5. depression in an area or terrain

   miklajā ganību lejā nāca melnakšņu un kārklu krūmi ― in the humid pasture depression there were (lit. came) alder and willow bushes

6. (of rivers; usually with uz, no) mouth, estuary

   no lejas brauc tvaikonis ― from the river mouth came a steamboat

   straume laivu nesa uz leju ― the stream took the boat downstream, to(ward) the estuary

   jo tālāk ejam mēs uz leju, jo vairāk straume izšķir mūs ― the further we go downstream, the more the stream separated us

7. (with uz) down, downward, toward the earth (also metaphorically)

   skatīties uz leju ― to look down

   ceļš ved uz leju ― the path leads down

   Ģirts gāja pa kāpnēm uz leju ― Ģirts walked down the stairs

   svaru kauss sveras uz leju ― the heavy cup weighs down

   Mācītājam Silingam ar veselību ejot uz leju ― Pastor Siling's health, they say, is going down

• (of "below", "down"): lejā
• (of "lower part"): apakša
• (of "valley"): ieleja
• (of "estuary"): lejtece
• (of "downward"): uz leju, lejup, zemup (rare)

• (antonym(s) of “of "lower part"”): augša
• (antonym(s) of “of "down"”): augšā
• (antonym(s) of “of "downward"”): uz augšu, augšup, sauļup (poetic)

• ieleja
• lejā
• lejtece
• lejup

• (Courland) lejā

From Proto-Finnic *liha.

leja

1. flesh

• Rhymes: -ɛja
• Syllabification: le‧ja
• Homophone: Leja

See lej.

leja f

1. alternative form of lej

Deverbal from lać.

leja f

1. (Central Greater Poland) torrential downpour (heavy rain)

• lija (Central Greater Poland)

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

leja m inan

1. genitive singular of lej

• leja in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• leja in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Oskar Kolberg (1877) “leja”, in “Rzecz o mowie ludu wielkopolskiego”, in Zbiór wiadomości do antropologii krajowéj (in Polish), volume 1, III (Materyjały etnologiczne), page 20

• lijèha (Ijekavian)
• líha (Ikavian)
• léha (Ekavian)

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lě̄xà, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *láišāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *lóyseh₂, from *leys-.

• IPA^(key): /lěːja/

léja f (Cyrillic spelling ле́ја)

1. plot of land for sowing, a partition of agriculturally or horticulturally used earth, farming bed
   • 2015 June 15, “Planiranje vrta [Garden planning]”, in Bio-Vrt‎^[2]:

     Za proizvodnju ranih proljetnih vrsta salate, kao i za snabdjevanje vrta svojim sadnicama, može se napraviti pokrivena topla leja.

     To produce early spring types of salad, as also for provision of the garden with seedlings, one can create a covered warm bed.

• “ле́ја”, in Речник српскохрватскога књижевног језика (in Serbo-Croatian), Друго фототипско издање edition, volume 3, Нови Сад, Загреб: Матица српска, Матица хрватска, 1969, published 1990, page 182
• “ле́ха”, in Речник српскохрватскога књижевног језика (in Serbo-Croatian), Друго фототипско издање edition, volume 3, Нови Сад, Загреб: Матица српска, Матица хрватска, 1969, published 1990, page 199

Borrowed from English ledger.

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leja class IX (plural leja class X)

1. ledger (a collection of accounting entries consisting of credits and debits)

From Old Swedish leghia, from Old Norse leiga, from Proto-Germanic *laigijaną (“to lend”).

• IPA^(key): /lɛja/
• Rhymes: -ɛja

leja (present lejer, preterite lejde, supine lejt, imperative lej)

1. to hire (on a temporary basis)

   leja en torped

   hire a hitman

Often of illegal or questionable tasks.

• leja ut (“contract out”)

• lega

• anlita
• torped

• leja in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• leja in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• leja in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• leja in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)