[f. LEE sb.1 + WAY.] The lateral drift of a ship to leeward of her course; the amount of deviation thus produced. Also To make, fetch up, make up lee-way. Angle of lee-way: the angle made by the direction of a ship’s keel, with that of its actual course.
1669. Sturmy, Mariner’s Mag., II. 145. To give allowance to your Course according to the Lee-way you have made.
1743. Phil. Trans., XLII. 414. The same Theory is applied to the Motion of Ships, abstracting from the Lee-way, but having regard to the Velocity of the Ship.
1762. Falconer, Shipwr., II. 576. The angle of lee-way, seven points, remain’d.
1771. Smollett, Humph. Cl., 8 Aug. To fear that the tide would fail before we should fetch up our lee-way.
1840. R. H. Dana, Bef. Mast, Gloss., When sailing close-hauled with all sail set, a vessel should make no leeway.
1883. Stevenson, Treas. Isl., V. xxiii. Do as you pleased, she [the boat) always made more leeway than anything else.
fig. 1827. Scott, Jrnl., 2 Dec. Laboured to make [? read make up] lee-way, and finished nearly seven pages to eke on to the end of the missing sheets when returned.
1835. W. Irving, in Crayon Misc. (1849), 196. He … made great leeway toward a corn-crib, filled with golden ears of maize.
1871. L. Stephen, Playgr. Europe, iv. 221. Both in time and space it is rapidly making up its leeway.
1884. Daily News, 16 Feb., 5/1. We have a great deal of leeway to make up with the Australians.
