- leastways
- adverb Date: 14th century dialect at least
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
leastways
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Leastways — Least ways , Leastwise Least wise , adv. At least; at all events. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster] {At leastways}, or {At leastwise}, at least. [Obs.] Fuller. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
leastways — 1825, colloquial, from LEAST (Cf. least) + WAY (Cf. way). Regarded as vulgar, but simply a one word form of Chaucer s leest weye (late 14c.) … Etymology dictionary
leastways — (also leastwise) ► ADVERB dialect or informal ▪ at least … English terms dictionary
leastways — [lēst′wāz΄] adv. [< phr. at the least ways, at least] Chiefly Dial. leastwise; anyway … English World dictionary
leastways — adverb /ˈliːstˌweɪz/ (colloquial or dialectal) at least My advice, or, leastways, I should say, my orders, is, said the fattest man of the party, that we mediately go home again … Wiktionary
leastways — See leastways, leastwise … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
leastways — least|ways [ˈli:stweız] adv also least|wise [ waız] informal at least = ↑anyway ▪ There s no way to cross the mountains, leastways at this time of the year … Dictionary of contemporary English
leastways, leastwise — These words are dialectal, appearing only in regional speech and never in formal writing. They mean at any rate, in any event, or at least : Leastways, that s what I thought he said. You could leastwise try harder. Both words are highly informal… … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
leastways — /leest wayz /, adv. Dial. at least; at any rate; leastwise. [1350 1400; ME leest weye. See LEAST, WAYS] * * * … Universalium
leastways — adv. at least, in any event, at any rate (Informal) … English contemporary dictionary
