leash

[ leesh ]
/ liʃ /

noun

a chain, strap, etc., for controlling or leading a dog or other animal; lead.
check; curb; restraint: to keep one's temper in leash; a tight leash on one's subordinates.
Hunting. a brace and a half, as of foxes or hounds.

verb (used with object)

to secure, control, or restrain by or as if by a leash: to leash water power for industrial use.
to bind together by or as if by a leash; connect; link; associate.

Origin of leash

1250–1300; Middle English lesh, variant of lece, lese < Old French laisse. See lease1

Example sentences from the Web for leash

British Dictionary definitions for leash

leash
/ (liːʃ) /

noun

a line or rope used to walk or control a dog or other animal; lead
something resembling this in function he kept a tight leash on his emotions
hunting three of the same kind of animal, usually hounds, foxes, or hares
straining at the leash eagerly impatient to begin something

verb

(tr) to control or secure by or as if by a leash

Word Origin for leash

C13: from Old French laisse, from laissier to loose (hence, to let a dog run on a leash), ultimately from Latin laxus lax