Also 5 lese, leas, 6 leace. [a. AF. les = OF. lais, leis, lez, etc., a letting, leaving (mod.F., with pseudo-etymological spelling legs, ‘legacy’), vbl. noun f. laisser to let, leave.]
1. A contract between parties, by which the one conveys lands or tenements to the other for life, for years, or at will, usually in consideration of rent or other periodical compensation. Also in phr. to put (out) to lease; by lease, on († in) lease. b. The instrument by which such a conveyance is made. c. The period of time for which the contract is made.
The grantor of a lease is called the lessor, and the grantee, the lessee. In popular lang. lease is usually confined to a conveyance by deed for a term of years.
[1292. Britton, III. xi. § 26. Qe il ne cleime rien el tenement for qe terme des aunz de le les un tiel.]
1483. Act 1 Rich. III., c. 1 § 1. Every astate feoffement yeft relesse graunte lesis and confirmacion of landys.
1495. Act 11 Hen. VII., c. 9 § 2. Lessees, before … they take or occupie biforce of any suche leas any suche londes.
1573. Tusser, Husb., Ep. to Ld. T. Paget, viii. (1878), 9. Though countrie health long staid me; yet lesse expiring fraid me.
1583. Stubbes, Anat. Abus., II. (1882), 31. I thought one might haue had a farme or a lease for a reasonable rent yeerely, without any fine or income paieng.
1616. R. C., Times Whistle, V. 1981. A … young gentleman Put out the best part of his land to lease.
1667. Pepys, Diary, 4 June. I cannot have a lease of the ground for my coach-house.
1690. Lond. Gaz., No. 2542/4. To be Lett furnished or unfurnished, by a short Lease or Yearly Rent.
1756. Hume, Hist. Eng., II. xxviii. 134. He got possession, on easy leases, of the revenues of Bath, Worcester and Hereford.
1758. Johnson, Idler, No. 16, ¶ 7. [He] renewed his uncle’s lease of a farm.
1776. Adam Smith, W. N., V. ii. (1869), II. 420. All the arable lands which are given in lease to farmers.
1846. M’Culloch, Acc. Brit. Empire (1854), I. 149. A tenant without a lease, and, consequently, depending on the goodwill and caprice of his landlord, may not deteriorate his farm.
1893. Sir J. W. Chitty, in Law Times Rep., LXVIII. 429/1. The lease … had been lent … to the plaintiff … for perusal.
Mod. The lease had still thirty years to run.
2. fig. with reference to the permanence of occupation guaranteed by a lease; esp. in phr. a (new) lease of life. Also, the term during which possession or occupation is guaranteed.
c. 1586. C’tess Pembroke, Ps. LXXXI. vi. Of my graunt they had enjoy’d A lease of blisse with endlesse date.
c. 1600. Shaks., Sonn., cxlvi. Why so large cost, having so short a lease, Dost thou vpon thy fading mansion spend? Ibid. (1605), Macb., IV. i. 99. Our high plac’d Macbeth Shall liue the Lease of Nature.
1628. Rutherford, Lett. (1862), I. 36. Remember of what age your daughter was, and that just so long was your lease of her.
1631. Milton, Epit. Marchioness Winchester, 52. [Thou] That to give the world encrease, Shortned hast thy own lives lease.
1640. Shirley, Constant Maid, IV. iii. The Statutes and the Magna Charta have taken a lease at his tongues end. Ibid. (1641), Cardinal, IV. i. Time has took a lease But for three lives I hope.
1647. Cleveland, Char. Lond. Diurn., 4. I wonder, for how many lives my Lord Hoptons Soule took the Lease of his Body.
a. 1700. Dryden, Ovid’s Met., XV. Pythag. Philos., 603. He … the same Lease of Life on the same Terms renews.
1706. Baynard, in Sir J. Floyer, Hot & Cold Bath., II. 192. My Lady Loyd’s Case,… who when the vital Flame was even blinking in the Socket … had a new Life put to Lease.
1853. Mrs. Carlyle, Lett., II. 227. She was going to have a new lease of life with better health.
1865. Dickens, Mut. Fr., I. xiii. The suspense seemed to have taken a new lease.
1878. Seeley, Stein, III. 397. Wherever Estates still existed, they seemed to have gained a new lease of life.
1897. Mary Kingsley, W. Africa, 685. Men and women, who looked, as the saying goes, as if you could take a lease of their lives.
3. Austral. ‘A piece of land leased for mining purposes’ (Morris).
1890. Goldfields Victoria, 15. A nice block of stone was crushed from Johnston’s lease.
4. Comb., as lease-buyer, -letter, -possession. See also LEASE-MONGER, LEASE-PAROLE.
1570. Levins, Manip., 204/37. Lease letter, locator.… Lease byer, conductor.
1894. A. Morrison, Mean Streets, 286. The glories of lease-possession grew dim in his eyes.
