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Glite Dictionary
lee tide

lee tide

9.8
Tide that flows in the same direction as the wind
  • noun
  • /liː taɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : marea de sotavento
  • With a strong lee tide, the boat drifted quickly along the coast.

Examples

  • They waited to cross the bay until the lee tide had slackened.

  • Sailing in a lee tide can be risky for inexperienced sailors.

  • The lee tide made sailing easier today.

  • Have you noticed the lee tides this week?

  • Sailing during a lee tide allows boats to move more swiftly with the wind.

  • The fisherman preferred to launch his boat when there was a lee tide for better stability.

  • Navigating through the lee tide made the journey smoother and more enjoyable.

Synonyms

leeward tide
vslee tide
  • Specialized
8.3

A sea current that moves the same way as the wind

is identical in meaning but uses a different word form

Surface Forms

lee tide singular
lee tides plural

Morphology

lee + tide

The noun is compositionally built from 'lee' (the side sheltered from wind) modifying 'tide' (sea movement), so the phrase denotes the tide associated with the lee side or moving with the wind. Although somewhat maritime and specialized, a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer this meaning, so it is predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Lee tide comes from old sailors. The lee side of a boat is the side protected from the wind, and when the tide moved that same way with the wind they called it a lee tide, so today it means a tide that flows 'in the same direction as the wind'.