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Lewis

proper noun

  1. male given name
  2. family name
  3. place name
L447423 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈluːɪs/

name

Etymology: Derived from Scottish Gaelic Leòdhas, of uncertain origin; traditionally referred to Old Norse Ljóðahús, from ljóð (“song, poem”) + hús (“house”); but may be related to the Pictish name of the island recorded in Ptolemy's Geography as Λίμνου (Límnou).

  1. Ellipsis of the Isle of Lewis: an island of Scotland, United Kingdom.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English lewis, of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old French lous, plural of lou, loup (“the name of a kind of siege engine”, literally “wolf”); or related to clevis.

  1. A cramp iron inserted into a cavity in order to lift heavy stones; used as a symbol of strength in Freemasonry.
  2. The son of a Freemason, envisaged as assisting his father in heavy work or in old age.
  3. A kind of shears used in cropping woollen cloth.

    After the preeming period, the lads are put either to the gig-machines, or to the lewises in the cutting or shearing-room.