lewis
noun/ˈluːɪs/
Etymology From Middle English lewis, of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old French lous, plural of lou, loup (“the name of a kind of siege engine”, literally “wolf”); or related to clevis.
1
A cramp iron inserted into a cavity in order to lift heavy stones; used as a symbol of strength in Freemasonry.
2
Broadly, Figuratively The son of a Freemason, envisaged as assisting his father in heavy work or in old age.
3
A kind of shears used in cropping woollen cloth.
- After the preeming period, the lads are put either to the gig-machines, or to the lewises in the cutting or shearing-room.1835, Andrew Ure, The philosophy of manufactures, page 203: