Meaning

noun the direction in which the wind is blowing

noun the side of something that is sheltered from the wind

adjective on the side away from the wind

originEtymology tree English lee Proto-Indo-European *wert-der. Proto-Germanic *wardaz Old English -weard English -ward English leeward From lee (“side away from the wind”) + -ward (“direction”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0