Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Leave \Leave\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Leaved}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Leaving}]
   To send out leaves; to leaf; -- often with out. --G.
   Fletcher.

Leave \Leave\, v. t. [See {Levy}.]
   To raise; to levy. [Obs.]

         An army strong she leaved.               --Spenser.

Leave \Leave\, n. [OE. leve, leave, AS. le['a]f; akin to le['o]f
   pleasing, dear, E. lief, D. oorlof leave, G. arlaub, and
   erlauben to permit, Icel. leyfi. ? See {Lief}.]
   1. Liberty granted by which restraint or illegality is
      removed; permission; allowance; license.

            David earnestly asked leave of me.    --1 Sam. xx.
                                                  6.

            No friend has leave to bear away the dead. --Dryden.

   2. The act of leaving or departing; a formal parting; a
      leaving; farewell; adieu; -- used chiefly in the phrase,
      to take leave, i. e., literally, to take permission to go.

            A double blessing is a'double grace; Occasion smiles
            upon a second leave.                  --Shak.

            And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while,
            and then took his leave of the brethren. --Acts
                                                  xviii. 18.

   {French leave}. See under {French}.

   Syn: See {Liberty}.

Leave \Leave\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Left}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Leaving}.] [OE. leven, AS. l?fan, fr. l[=a]f remnant,
   heritage; akin to lifian, libban, to live, orig., to remain;
   cf. bel[=i]fan to remain, G. bleiben, Goth. bileiban. ?. See
   {Live}, v.]
   1. To withdraw one's self from; to go away from; to depart
      from; as, to leave the house.

            Therefore shall a man leave his father and his
            mother, and shall cleave unto his wife. --Gen. ii.
                                                  24.

   2. To let remain unremoved or undone; to let stay or
      continue, in distinction from what is removed or changed.

            If grape gatherers come to thee, would they not
            leave some gleaning grapes ?          --Jer. xlix.
                                                  9.

            These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the
            other undone.                         --Matt. xxiii.
                                                  23.

            Besides it leaveth a suspicion, as if more might be
            said than is expressed.               --Bacon.

   3. To cease from; to desist from; to abstain from.

            Now leave complaining and begin your tea. --Pope.

   4. To desert; to abandon; to forsake; hence, to give up; to
      relinquish.

            Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. --Mark
                                                  x. 28.

            The heresies that men do leave.       --Shak.

   5. To let be or do without interference; as, I left him to
      his reflections; I leave my hearers to judge.

            I will leave you now to your gossiplike humor.
                                                  --Shak.

   6. To put; to place; to deposit; to deliver; to commit; to
      submit -- with a sense of withdrawing one's self from; as,
      leave your hat in the hall; we left our cards; to leave
      the matter to arbitrators.

            Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy
            way.                                  --Matt. v. 24.

            The foot That leaves the print of blood where'er it
            walks.                                --Shak.

   7. To have remaining at death; hence, to bequeath; as, he
      left a large estate; he left a good name; he left a legacy
      to his niece.

   {To leave alone}.
      (a) To leave in solitude.
      (b) To desist or refrain from having to do with; as, to
          leave dangerous chemicals alone.

   {To leave off}.
      (a) To desist from; to forbear; to stop; as, to leave off
          work at six o'clock.
      (b) To cease wearing or using; to omit to put in the usual
          position; as, to leave off a garment; to leave off the
          tablecloth.
      (c) To forsake; as, to leave off a bad habit.

   {To leave out}, to omit; as, to leave out a word or name in
      writing.

   {To leave to one's self}, to let (one) be alone; to cease
      caring for (one).

   Syn: Syn>- To quit; depart from; forsake; abandon;
        relinquish; deliver; bequeath; give up; forego; resign;
        surrender; forbear. See {Quit}.

Leave \Leave\, v. i.
   1. To depart; to set out. [Colloq.]

            By the time I left for Scotland.      --Carlyle.

   2. To cease; to desist; to leave off. ``He . . . began at the
      eldest, and left at the youngest.'' --Gen. xliv. 12.

   {To leave off}, to cease; to desist; to stop.

            Leave off, and for another summons wait.
                                                  --Roscommon.

Source : WordNet®

leave
     v 1: go away from a place; "At what time does your train leave?";
          "She didn't leave until midnight"; "The ship leaves at
          midnight" [syn: {go forth}, {go away}] [ant: {arrive}]
     2: go and leave behind, either intentionally or by neglect or
        forgetfulness; "She left a mess when she moved out"; "His
        good luck finally left him"; "her husband left her after
        20 years of marriage"; "she wept thinking she had been
        left behind"
     3: act or be so as to become in a specified state; "The
        inflation left them penniless"; "The president's remarks
        left us speechless"
     4: leave unchanged or undisturbed or refrain from taking;
        "leave it as is"; "leave the young fawn alone"; "leave the
        flowers that you see in the park behind" [syn: {leave
        alone}, {leave behind}]
     5: move out of or depart from; "leave the room"; "the fugitive
        has left the country" [syn: {exit}, {go out}, {get out}]
        [ant: {enter}]
     6: make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be
        attainable or cause to remain; "This leaves no room for
        improvement"; "The evidence allows only one conclusion";
        "allow for mistakes"; "leave lots of time for the trip";
        "This procedure provides for lots of leeway" [syn: {allow
        for}, {allow}, {provide}]
     7: result in; "The water left a mark on the silk dress"; "Her
        blood left a stain on the napkin" [syn: {result}, {lead}]
     8: remove oneself from an association with or participation in;
        "She wants to leave"; "The teenager left home"; "She left
        her position with the Red Cross"; "He left the Senate
        after two terms"; "after 20 years with the same company,
        she pulled up stakes" [syn: {depart}, {pull up stakes}]
     9: put into the care or protection of someone; "He left the
        decision to his deputy"; "leave your child the nurse's
        care" [syn: {entrust}]
     10: leave or give by will after one's death; "My aunt bequeathed
         me all her jewelry"; "My grandfather left me his entire
         estate" [syn: {bequeath}, {will}] [ant: {disinherit}]
     11: have left or have as a remainder; "That left the four of
         us"; "19 minus 8 leaves 11"
     12: be survived by after one's death; "He left six children";
         "At her death, she left behind her husband and 11 cats"
         [syn: {leave behind}]
     13: tell or deposit (information) knowledge; "give a secret to
         the Russians"; "leave your name and address here" [syn: {impart},
          {give}, {pass on}]
     14: leave behind unintentionally; "I forgot my umbrella in the
         restaurant"; "I left my keys inside the car and locked
         the doors" [syn: {forget}]
     [also: {left}]

leave
     n 1: the period of time during which you are absent from work or
          duty; "a ten day's leave to visit his mother" [syn: {leave
          of absence}]
     2: permission to do something; "she was granted leave to speak"
     3: the act of departing politely; "he disliked long farewells";
        "he took his leave"; "parting is such sweet sorrow" [syn:
        {farewell}, {leave-taking}, {parting}]
     [also: {left}]