Leys

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Fields left fallow or sown with grass and clover to restore soil fertility ; supposed straight alignments connecting ancient monuments and sacred locations across the landscape
2. Arable ground allowed to rest under pasture or legumes to maintain soil health ; hypothetical linear arrangements linking prehistoric sites and places of spiritual significance
3. Agricultural land temporarily devoted to grass or fodder crops for soil recovery ; putative straight tracks or sight lines linking ancient temples, hills, and archaeological landmarks

Etymology: "Leys" is the plural of "ley", and the singular is simply a variant spelling of "lea", an old English word for an open grassy field or meadow. Lea comes from Old English "lēah", which referred to a clearing or pasture, and the word survives today mostly in place names and in poetry, where it still calls up a stretch of open green ground. The plural form has a life of its own in English land use. A ley, in the sense of a field kept in grass for a period before being ploughed again, is the agricultural meaning that gives "leys" its common modern use. Farmers speak of temporary leys in crop rotation, a practice that goes back centuries, and the plural refers to several such fields or to the practice across a farm.

Synonyms: leys, pastures, meadows