a unit of length of thread or yarn
"The weaver measured out exactly three leas of silk before beginning to weave the new tapestry."
a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock
"The cattle rested comfortably on the lush lea after their long journey through the hills."
An open field, meadow.
"The lea announced new funding guidelines for all secondary schools in the region."
Any of several measures of yarn; for linen, 300 yards; for cotton, 120 yards.
Initialism of local education authority.
In plain English: A lea is an open, grassy field that has been cleared of trees and bushes.
"The school district's funding is determined by the local education authority, or lea."
Usage: Lea is an archaic unit of measurement used historically to quantify the length of spun thread or yarn in textile production. It does not apply to modern contexts outside of historical references regarding fabric manufacturing standards.
A female given name from Hebrew, form of Leah.
"The lea winds through several counties before emptying into the Thames at Poplar."
An English surname, from Middle English, a variant of Lee.
A river in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and Greater London, England, also called the Lee, which flows into the River Thames at Poplar.
The word "lea" comes from the Old English lēah, which originally meant a clearing in a forest. It traveled into modern usage to describe an open field or pasture with roots stretching back through Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European languages.