lei

lei
lei1
/lay, lay"ee/, n., pl. leis.
(in the Hawaiian Islands) a wreath of flowers, leaves, etc., for the neck or head.
[1835-45; < Hawaiian]
lei2
/lay/, n.
pl. of leu.

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▪ Hawaiian garland
      a garland or necklace of flowers given in Hawaii as a token of welcome or farewell. Leis are most commonly made of carnations, kika blossoms, ginger blossoms, jasmine blossoms, or orchids and are usually about 18 inches (46 cm) long. They are bestowed with a kiss as a sign of hospitality. The traveler customarily tosses the farewell lei onto the harbour waters as his ship leaves; the drift of the lei back to the shore indicates that he will someday return to the islands. The custom of wearing leis originated with the indigenous Hawaiians, who wove necklaces of leaves or ferns or sometimes strung dried shells, fruits, beads, or bright feathers for personal adornment. Hawaiians celebrate Lei Day on May 1, symbolizing their tradition of friendliness.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • lei — lèi pron.pers. di terza pers.f.sing., s.m.inv., s.f.inv. FO I. pron.pers. di terza pers.f.sing. I 1. riferito a persona e, in usi fam., anche ad animale o a cosa, si usa in funzione di complemento oggetto o di complemento di termine quando si… …   Dizionario italiano

  • lei —   Lei (for various kinds, see Haw. Eng. entry and entries that follow it). See saying, pu upu u1.    ♦ Feather lei, lei hulu.    ♦ Any lei for the neck, lei, lei ā ī.    ♦ Head lei, lei po o.    ♦ Hat lei, lei pāpale.    ♦ Flat lei, as for a hat …   English-Hawaiian dictionary

  • LEI — steht für: Litauisches Energieinstitut, Lietuvos energetikos institutas Lessico Etimologico Italiano, das Grundlagenwörterbuch Lokale Erasmus Initiative, eine Gruppe an einer Hochschule, die Austauschstudenten des Erasmus Programms betreut… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • lei — s. f. 1. Preceito ou regra estabelecida por direito. 2. Norma, obrigação. 3. Religião. 4. Relação constante entre fenômenos da Natureza, ou entre as fases de um mesmo fenômeno. 5. Quantidade de metal precioso que deve entrar em cada quilograma de …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • Lei — steht für: Litauisches Energieinstitut, Lietuvos energetikos institutas Lessico Etimologico Italiano, das Grundlagenwörterbuch Lokale Erasmus Initiative, eine Gruppe an einer Hochschule, die Austauschstudenten des Erasmus Programms betreut… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • lei — → 2. leu ● lei nom masculin pluriel Pluriel de leu. ● lei (homonymes) nom masculin pluriel le article défini le pronom personnel leu nom masculin invariable le …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • lei-2 —     lei 2     English meaning: to eliminate, dissipate, disappear; weak, thin     Deutsche Übersetzung: “eingehen, abnehmen, schwinden; mager, schlank”     Note: (from *el ei )     Material: a. Gk. λίναμαι τρέπομαι Hes., λιάζομαι “weiche from,… …   Proto-Indo-European etymological dictionary

  • LEI — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. {{{image}}}   Sigles d une seule lettre   Sigles de deux lettres > Sigles de trois lettres …   Wikipédia en Français

  • -lei — [mhd. lei[e] = Art u. Weise < afrz. ley = Art < lat. legem, Akk. von: lex = Gesetz]: wird zur Bildung [un]bestimmter Gattungszahlwörter verwendet, z. B. achterlei, keinerlei, mancherlei. * * * lei <Suffix> [mhd. lei[e] = Art u. Weise… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Lei — Smf Stein, Schiefer (auch in Ortsnamen) per. Wortschatz reg. (14. Jh.), spmhd. lei(e) f., as. lēia f. Entlehnung Regionale (rheinische) Entlehnung aus gall. * lēi, vgl. air. lía, lie m./(f.) (aus kelt. * līwank ), gr. lãas m./(f.) Stein .… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • lei-3 —     lei 3     English meaning: slimy; to glide     Deutsche Übersetzung: ‘schleimig, durch Nässe glitschiger Boden, ausgleiten, worũber hinschleifen or streichen, also glättend worũber fahren; andrerseits schleimig = klebrig”     Note: various… …   Proto-Indo-European etymological dictionary

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