I. le·vee ˈle-vē; lə-ˈvē, -ˈvā noun
Etymology: French lever, from Middle French, act of arising, from ( se ) lever to rise
Date: 1672
1. : a reception held by a person of distinction on rising from bed
2. : an afternoon assembly at which the British sovereign or his or her representative receives only men
3. : a reception usually in honor of a particular person
II. lev·ee ˈle-vē noun
Etymology: French levée, from Old French, act of raising, from lever to raise — more at lever
Date: circa 1720
1.
a. : an embankment for preventing flooding
b. : a river landing place : pier
2. : a continuous dike or ridge (as of earth) for confining the irrigation areas of land to be flooded
III. lev·ee ˈle-vē transitive verb
( lev·eed ; lev·ee·ing )
Date: 1832
: to provide with a levee