LEECH, in zoology. See HIXONO.
LEECHES in a ship, the borders or edges of a sail which are either sloping or perpendicular.
The leeches of all sails whose tops and bottoms are parallel to the deck, or at right angles to the mast, are denominated from the ship's side, and the sail to which they belong; as the starboard-leech of the main-sail, the lee-leech of the fore-top-sail, &c. But the sails which are fixed obliquely on the masts have their leeches named from their situation with respect to the ship's length; as the fore-leech of the mizen, the after-leech of the jib or fore-stay sail, &c.