LEAVE

I. verb (left; leaving) Etymology: Middle English leven, from Old English lǣfan; akin to Old High German verleiben to ~, Old English belīfan to be left over, and perhaps to Lithuanian lipti to adhere, Greek lipos grease, fat Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. bequeath , devise , to have remaining after one's death , to cause to remain as a trace or aftereffect , 2. to cause or allow to be or remain in a specified condition , to fail to include or take along , to have as a remainder , to permit to be or remain subject to another's action or control , let , to cause or allow to be or remain available , 3. to go away from ; depart , desert , abandon , to terminate association with ; withdraw from , to put, deposit, or deliver before or in the process of departing , intransitive verb set out , depart , ~r noun Usage: Leave (sense 2e) with the infinitive but without to is a mostly spoken idiom used in writing especially for humorous effect. It is not often criticized in British English, but American commentators, adhering to an opinion first expressed in 1881, still dislike it. II. noun see: believe Date: before 12th century 1. permission to do something, authorized especially extended absence from duty or employment, an act of leaving ; departure , III. intransitive verb (~d; leaving) Etymology: Middle English leven, from leef leaf Date: 14th century leaf