leash
pronunciation
How to pronounce leash in British English:
UK [liːʃ]
How to pronounce leash in American English:
US [liːʃ]
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- Noun:
- restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal
- the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
- a figurative restraint
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- Verb:
- fasten with a rope
Word Origin
- leash (v.)
- "to attach to or with a leash," 1590s, from leash (n.). Related: Leashed; leashing.
- leash (n.)
- "thong for holding a dog or hound," c. 1300, from Old French laisse "hound's leash," from laissier "loosen," from Latin laxare, from laxus "loose" (see lax). Figurative sense attested from early 15c. The meaning "a set of three" is from early 14c., originally in sporting language.
Example
- 1. But its firepower and mandate remain on a tight leash .
- 2. The notoriously nasty secret police are on a tighter leash .
- 3. You just have to keep him on a tight leash .
- 4. China 's own film producers are likewise kept on a short leash , as are book publishers .
- 5. But until now , most chinese investors have left the companies they bought on a long leash .