Chiefly Sc. Obs. Forms: 4–5 lefsum, Sc. 5–6 lesum, (6 lesume, 7 lesome), 6 leifsum (?), le(i)uesom, 6–7 leasum, leasom(e, leisoum, leisom(e, 7 leisum, 8 leesome. [ME. lēfsum, f. lēf LEAVE sb. + -sum -SOME.] Lawful, permissible, right.
a. 1400[?] Langland’s P. Pl., B. XI. 92. MS. B. [reads lefsum for licitum of other texts; MS. O has leueful].
14[?]. Henryson, in Bannatyne Poems (1873), 611. Hir kirtill suld be of clene constance, Lasit with lesum lufe.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, IV. iii. 25. So that it lesum be Dido ramane In spousage bund.
1552. Lyndesay, Monarche, 6079. The Secretis quhilk he saw Thay wer nocht leifsum [? leissum] for to schaw To no man.
1560. Rolland, Crt. Venus, I. 776. To set ane Court in leissum time and place.
1560–78. Bk. Discipl. Ch. Scot. (1621), 75. Without this lawfull calling it was never leasome to any person to meddle with any function Ecclesiasticall.
a. 1578. Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 15. Puir men labouraris hauntand to thair lesum bussenes.
a. 1600. Montgomerie, Sonn., lxx. 2. Blind brutal Boy, that with thy bou abuses Leill leesome love by lechery and lust.
1681. Act Secur. Peace Kingd. Scot., in Lond. Gaz., No. 1648/4. His Majesty … Declares, that in this case, it shall be leisum to Heritors to put their Tennants off their Lands.
a. 1758. Ramsay, Jenny Nettles, iii. The leel and leesome gate o’t.
Hence Leesomely adv., lawfully.
1552. Abp. Hamilton, Catech. (1884), 21. We may lesumlie desyre o’ God our necessarie sustentatioun.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., 46. He may lesomelie distrenzie them, for the releiue and service aucht to him for his lands.
