l ['el] -n

  1. the 12th letter of the English alphabet
  2. a graphic representation of this letter
  3. a speech counterpart of orthographic l
  4. fifty
  5. a graphic device for reproducing the letter l
  6. one designated lesp. as the 12th in order or class
  7. something shaped like the letter L
  8. ell
  9. el
  10. lady
  11. lake
  12. lambert
  13. land
  14. large
  15. late
  16. left
  17. length
  18. pound
  19. line
  20. liquid
  21. lira
  22. liter
  23. little
  24. low

L -abbr

  1. Lagrangian
  2. long
  3. loss; losses

la ['lȯ, 'lä] -interj

  1. used for emphasis or expressing surprise
  2. the sixth tone of the diatonic scale in solmization

La -abbr

  1. Louisiana
  2. lanthanum

LA -abbr

  1. law agent
  2. legislative assistant
  3. Los Angeles
  4. Louisiana

laa·ger ['lä-gər] -n, vi

  1. camp
  2. an encampment protected by a circle of wagons or armored vehicles
  3. a defensive position, policy, or attitude

laa·ri ['lä-(,)rē] -n

  1. see rufiyaa at

lab ['lab] -n

  1. laboratory

Lab ['lab] -n

  1. labrador retriever
  2. Labrador

la·ba·no·ta·tion [,lā-bə-nō-'tā-shən, ,la-; lə-,bä-(,)nō-] -n

  1. a method of recording bodily movement (as in dance) on a staff by means of symbols (as of direction) that can be aligned with musical accompaniment

lab·a·rum ['la-bə-rəm] -n

  1. an imperial standard of the later Roman emperors resembling the vexillum
  2. the standard bearing the Chi-Rho adopted by Constantine after he converted to Christianity

lab coat -n

  1. a loose usu. white coat with deep pockets that is worn in a laboratory or medical office

lab·da·num ['lab-də-nəm] -n

  1. a soft dark fragrant bitter oleoresin derived from various rockroses (genus Cistus) and used in making perfumes

la·bel ['lā-bəl] -n

  1. band, fillet
  2. one attached to a document to hold an appended seal
  3. a heraldic charge that consists of a narrow horizontal band with usu. three pendants
  4. a slip (as of paper or cloth) inscribed and affixed to something for identification or description
  5. written or printed matter accompanying an article to furnish identification or other information
  6. : a descriptive or identifying word or phrase: as
  7. epithet
  8. a word or phrase used with a dictionary definition to provide additional information
  9. a usu. radioactive isotope used in labeling
  10. an adhesive stamp (as for postage or revenue)
  11. a brand of commercial recordings issued under a usu. trademarked name
  12. a recording so issued
  13. a company issuing such recordings
  14. the brand name of a retail store selling clothing, a clothing manufacturer, or a fashion designer

label ['lā-b(ə-)liŋ] -vt, adj, n

  1. to affix a label to
  2. to describe or designate with or as if with a label
  3. to distinguish (an element or atom) by using an isotope distinctive in some manner (as in mass or radioactivity)
  4. to distinguish (as a compound or cell) by introducing a traceable constituent (as a dye or labeled atom)

la·bel·lum [lə-'be-ləm] -n

  1. the median and usu. most morphologically distinct member of the corolla of an orchid
  2. a terminal part of the labium or labrum of various insects

la·bel·mate ['lā-bəl-,māt] -n

  1. a singer or musician who records for the same company as another

labia ['lā-bē-əm] -n

(variant of labium)

  1. any of the folds at the margin of the vulva
  2. the lower lip of a labiate corolla
  3. a lower mouthpart of an insect that is formed by the second pair of maxillae united in the middle line
  4. a liplike part of various invertebrates

la·bi·al ['lā-bē-əl] -adj, adv

  1. uttered with the participation of one or both lips
    • the labial sounds f, p, and u
  2. of, relating to, or situated near the lips or labia

labial -n

  1. a labial consonant

la·bi·al·ize ['lā-bē-ə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to make labial : round

la·bia ma·jo·ra ['lā-bē-ə-mə-'jȯr-ə] -n pl

  1. the outer fatty folds of the vulva bounding the vestibule

labia mi·no·ra [-mə-'nȯr-ə] -n pl

  1. the inner highly vascular largely connective-tissue folds of the vulva bounding the vestibule

la·bi·ate ['lā-bē-ət, -bē-,āt] -adj

  1. having the limb of a tubular corolla or calyx divided into two unequal parts projecting one over the other like lips
    • mints and the snapdragon are labiate
  2. of or relating to the mint family

labiate -n

  1. a plant of the mint family

la·bile ['lā-,bī(-ə)l, -bəl] -adj, n

  1. readily or continually undergoing chemical, physical, or biological change or breakdown : unstable
    • a labile mineral
  2. readily open to change

labio- -comb form

  1. labial and
    • labio dental

la·bio·den·tal [,lā-bē-ō-'den-tᵊl] -adj, n

  1. uttered with the participation of the lip and teeth
    • the labiodental sounds f and v

la·bio·ve·lar [-'vē-lər] -adj, n

  1. both labial and velar
    • the labiovelar sound w

la·bi·um ['lā-bē-əm] -n

  1. any of the folds at the margin of the vulva
  2. the lower lip of a labiate corolla
  3. a lower mouthpart of an insect that is formed by the second pair of maxillae united in the middle line
  4. a liplike part of various invertebrates

la·bor ['lā-bər] -n

  1. expenditure of physical or mental effort esp. when difficult or compulsory
  2. human activity that provides the goods or services in an economy
  3. the services performed by workers for wages as distinguished from those rendered by entrepreneurs for profits
  4. the physical activities (as dilation of the cervix and contraction of the uterus) involved in giving birth
  5. the period of such labor
  6. an act or process requiring labor : task
  7. a product of labor
  8. an economic group comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
  9. workers employed in an establishment
  10. workers available for employment
  11. the organizations or officials representing groups of workers
  12. the Labour party of the United Kingdom or of another part of the Commonwealth of Nations

labor [-b(ə-)riŋ] -vb

  1. to exert one's powers of body or mind esp. with painful or strenuous effort : work
  2. to move with great effort
    • the truck labor ed up the hill
  3. to be in the labor of giving birth
  4. to suffer from some disadvantage or distress
    • labor under a delusion
  5. to pitch or roll heavily
  6. to spend labor on or produce by labor
  7. to strive to effect or achieve
  8. to treat or work out in often laborious detail
    • labor the obvious
  9. distress, burden
  10. to cause to labor
  11. of or relating to labor
  12. of, relating to, or constituting a political party held to represent the interests of workers or made up largely of organized labor groups

lab·o·ra·to·ry ['la-b(ə-)rə-,tȯr-ē sometimes 'la-bə(r)-, or lə-'bȯr-ə-,, Brit usu lə-'bär-ə-t(ə-)rē] -n

  1. a place equipped for experimental study in a science or for testing and analysis
  2. a place providing opportunity for experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study
  3. a place like a laboratory for testing, experimentation, or practice
    • the laboratory of the mind
  4. an academic period set aside for laboratory work

labor camp -n

  1. a penal colony where forced labor is performed
  2. a camp for migratory laborers

Labor Day -n

  1. : a day set aside for special recognition of working people: as
  2. the first Monday in September observed in the U.S. and Canada as a legal holiday
  3. May 1 in many countries

labored -adj

  1. produced or performed with labor
    • labored breathing
  2. lacking ease of expression
    • a labored speech

la·bor·er [-bər-ər] -n

  1. one that labors
  2. a person who does unskilled physical work for wages

labor force -n

  1. workforce

la·borin·ten·sive ['lā-bər-in-,ten(t)-siv] -adj

  1. having high labor costs per unit of output
  2. requiring greater expenditure on labor than in capital

la·bo·ri·ous [lə-'bȯr-ē-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. devoted to labor : industrious
  2. involving or characterized by hard or toilsome effort : labored

la·bor·ite ['lā-bə-,rīt] -n

  1. a member of a group favoring the interests of labor
  2. a member of a political party devoted chiefly to the interests of labor
  3. a member of the British Labour party

la·bor·sav·ing ['lā-bər-,sā-viŋ] -adj

  1. adapted to replace or decrease human and esp. manual labor
    • laborsaving machines

labor union -n

  1. an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members' interests in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions

la·bour ['lā-bər] -n

(variant of labor)

  1. expenditure of physical or mental effort esp. when difficult or compulsory
  2. human activity that provides the goods or services in an economy
  3. the services performed by workers for wages as distinguished from those rendered by entrepreneurs for profits
  4. the physical activities (as dilation of the cervix and contraction of the uterus) involved in giving birth
  5. the period of such labor
  6. an act or process requiring labor : task
  7. a product of labor
  8. an economic group comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
  9. workers employed in an establishment
  10. workers available for employment
  11. the organizations or officials representing groups of workers
  12. the Labour party of the United Kingdom or of another part of the Commonwealth of Nations

lab·ra·dor·ite ['la-brə-,dȯr-,īt] -n

  1. an iridescent feldspar used esp. in jewelry

Lab·ra·dor retriever ['la-brə-,dȯr-] -n

  1. any of a breed of medium-sized strongly built retrievers largely developed in England from stock originating in Newfoundland and having a short dense black, yellow, or chocolate coat and a thick rounded tail called also Lab Labrador

Labrador tea -n

  1. a low-growing ericaceous evergreen shrub ( Ledum groenlandicum) chiefly of northern No. America with white or creamy bell-shaped flowers and leaves sometimes used in making tea
  2. a related shrub ( L. glandulosum) of western No. America

la·bret ['lā-brət] -n

  1. an ornament worn in a perforation of the lip

la·brum ['lā-brəm] -n

  1. an upper or anterior mouthpart of an arthropod consisting of a single median piece in front of or above the mandibles
  2. a ring of fibrous cartilage forming the margin of the shallow cavity of the upper part of the scapula by which the humerus articulates with the pectoral girdle

la·bur·num [lə-'bər-nəm] -n

  1. any of a small genus ( Laburnum,esp. L. anagyroides) of poisonous leguminous shrubs and trees of Eurasia with pendulous racemes of bright yellow flowers

lab·y·rinth ['la-bə-,rin(t)th, -rən(t)th] -n

  1. a place constructed of or full of intricate passageways and blind alleys
  2. a maze (as in a garden) formed by paths separated by high hedges
  3. something extremely complex or tortuous in structure, arrangement, or character : intricacy, perplexity
    • a labyrinth of swamps and channels
    • guided them through the labyrinth s of city life -- Paul Blanshard
  4. a tortuous anatomical structure
  5. the internal ear or its bony or membranous part

lab·y·rin·thi·an [,la-bə-'rin(t)-thē-ən] -adj

  1. labyrinthine

lab·y·rin·thine [-'rin(t)-thən; -'rin-,thīn, -,thēn] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or resembling a labyrinth : intricate, involved
  2. of, relating to, affecting, or originating in the internal ear
    • labyrinthine lesions

lab·y·rin·tho·dont [-'rin(t)-thə-,dänt] -n, adj

  1. any of a superorder (Labyrinthodontia) of extinct amphibians of the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic typically having bodies resembling salamanders or crocodiles and considered to be the earliest tetrapod vertebrates

lac ['lak] -n

  1. a resinous substance secreted by a scale insect ( Laccifer lacca) and used chiefly in the form of shellac

lac·co·lith ['la-kə-,lith] -n, adj

  1. a mass of igneous rock that is intruded between sedimentary beds and produces a domical bulging of the overlying strata

lace ['lās] -vb, n

  1. to draw together the edges of by or as if by a lace passed through eyelets
    • lace s her fingers behind her head
  2. to draw or pass (as a lace) through something (as eyelets)
  3. to confine or compress by tightening laces of a garment
  4. to adorn with or as if with lace
    • the surrounding countryside was laced with villages and hamlets -- L. C. Heinemann
  5. to mark with streaks of color
  6. beat, lash
  7. to add a dash of liquor to
  8. to add something to impart pungency, savor, or zest to
    • a sauce laced with garlic
    • conversation laced with sarcasm
  9. to adulterate with a substance
    • laced a guard's coffee with a sedative
  10. to admit of being tied or fastened with a lace
  11. to make a verbal attack usu. used with into
    • his boss laced into him for being late
  12. a cord or string used for drawing together two edges (as of a garment or a shoe)
  13. an ornamental braid for trimming coats or uniforms
  14. an openwork usu. figured fabric made of thread or yarn and used for trimmings, household coverings, and entire garments

lacecurtain -adj

  1. copying middle-class attributes : aspiring to middle-class standing

lac·er·ate ['la-sə-,rāt] -vt, adj

  1. to tear or rend roughly : wound jaggedly
  2. to cause sharp mental or emotional pain to : distress
  3. torn jaggedly : mangled
  4. extremely harrowed or distracted
  5. having the edges deeply and irregularly cut
    • a lacerate petal

lac·er·a·tion [,la-sə-'rā-shən] -n

  1. the act of lacerating
  2. a torn and ragged wound

lace·wing ['lās-,wiŋ] -n

  1. any of various neuropterous insects (as genera Chrysopaand Hemerobius) having delicate lacelike wing venation, usu. long antennae, and often brilliant eyes called also lacewing fly

lace·work ['lās-,wərk] -n

  1. objects or patterns consisting of or resembling lace

lacey ['lā-sē] -adj

(variant of lacy)

  1. resembling or consisting of lace

la·ches ['la-chəz, 'lā-] -n

  1. negligence in the observance of duty or opportunity
  2. undue delay in asserting a legal right or privilege

lach·ry·mal ['la-krə-məl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being glands that produce tears
  2. of, relating to, or marked by tears

lach·ry·mose [-,mōs] -adj, adv, n

  1. given to tears or weeping : tearful
  2. tending to cause tears : mournful

lacing -n

  1. the action of one that laces
  2. something that laces : lace
  3. a contrasting marginal band of color (as on a feather)
  4. a dash of liquor in a food or beverage
  5. a trace or sprinkling that adds spice or flavor
  6. a decisive defeat

la·cin·i·ate [lə-'si-nē-ət, -,āt] -adj, n

  1. bordered with a fringe
  2. cut into deep irregular usu. pointed lobes
    • laciniate leaves

lack ['lak] -vi

  1. to be deficient or missing
    • time is lack ing for a full explanation
  2. to be short or have need of something
    • he will not lack for advisers
  3. to stand in need of : suffer from the absence or deficiency of
    • lack the necessities of life
  4. the fact or state of being wanting or deficient
    • a lack of evidence
  5. something that is lacking or is needed

lack·a·dai·si·cal [,la-kə-'dā-zi-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. lacking life, spirit, or zest : languid

lack·a·day ['la-kə-,dā] -interj

  1. used to express regret or deprecation

lack·ey ['la-kē] -n

  1. footman , servant
  2. someone who does menial tasks or runs errands for another
  3. a servile follower : toady

lackey -vb

  1. to serve as a lackey : toady
  2. to wait upon or serve obsequiously

lack·lus·ter ['lak-,ləs-tər] -adj, n

  1. lacking in sheen, brilliance, or vitality : dull, mediocre

lack·lus·tre ['lak-,ləs-tər] -adj, n

(variant of lackluster)

  1. lacking in sheen, brilliance, or vitality : dull, mediocre

la·con·ic [lə-'kä-nik] -adj, adv

  1. using or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious

lac·o·nism ['la-kə-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. brevity or terseness of expression or style
    • a laconism bordering on curt -- B. S. Shanoff
  2. a laconic expression

lac·quer ['la-kər] -n

  1. a spirit varnish (as shellac)
  2. any of various durable natural varnishes
  3. a varnish obtained from an Asian sumac ( Rhus verniciflua) called also Japanese lacquer
  4. any of various clear or colored synthetic organic coatings that typically dry to form a film by evaporation of the solvent
  5. a solution of a cellulose derivative (as nitrocellulose)

lacquer [-k(ə-)riŋ] -vt, n

  1. to coat with or as if with lacquer
  2. to give a smooth finish or appearance to : make glossy
    • lacquer ed her hair

lac·quer·ware [-,wer] -n

  1. a decorative article usu. made of wood and coated with lacquer
  2. such articles or ware collectively

lac·quer·work [-,wərk] -n

  1. lacquerware

lac·ri·ma·tion [,la-krə-'mā-shən] -n

  1. the secretion of tears esp. when abnormal or excessive

lac·ri·ma·tor ['la-krə-,mā-tər] -n

  1. a tear-producing substance (as tear gas)

la·crosse [lə-'krȯs] -n

  1. a goal game in which players use a long-handled stick that has a triangular head with a mesh pouch for catching, carrying, and throwing the ball

lact- -comb form

  1. milk
    • lacto globulin
  2. lactic acid
    • lact ate
  3. lactose
    • lact ase

lact·al·bu·min [,lak-,tal-'byü-mən] -n

  1. an albumin that is obtained from whey and is similar to serum albumin

lac·tase ['lak-,tās, -,tāz] -n

  1. an enzyme that hydrolyzes beta-galactosides (as lactose) and occurs esp. in the intestines of young mammals and in yeasts

lac·tate ['lak-,tāt] -n

  1. a salt or ester of lactic acid

lactate [lak-'tā-shən] -vi, n, adj

  1. to secrete milk

lactate dehydrogenase -n

  1. any of a group of isoenzymes that catalyze reversibly the conversion of pyruvic acid to lactic acid called also lactic dehydrogenase

lac·te·al ['lak-tē-əl] -adj

  1. relating to, consisting of, producing, or resembling milk
  2. conveying or containing a milky fluid
  3. of or relating to the lacteals

lacteal -n

  1. any of the lymphatic vessels arising from the villi of the small intestine and conveying chyle to the thoracic duct

lac·tic ['lak-tik] -adj

  1. of or relating to milk
  2. obtained from sour milk or whey
  3. involving the production of lactic acid

lactic acid -n

  1. a hygroscopic organic acid C 3H 6O 3present normally esp. in muscle tissue as a product of anaerobic glycolysis, produced in carbohydrate matter usu. by bacterial fermentation, and used esp. in food and medicine and in industry

lac·tif·er·ous [lak-'ti-f(ə-)rəs] -adj

  1. yielding a milky juice
    • lactiferous plants
  2. secreting or conveying milk

lac·to·ba·cil·lus [,lak-tō-bə-'si-ləs] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Lactobacillus) of bacteria that produce lactic acid

lac·to·gen·ic [,lak-tə-'je-nik] -adj

  1. inducing lactation
    • lactogenic hormones

lac·to·glob·u·lin [-'glä-byə-lən] -n

  1. a crystalline protein fraction that is obtained from the whey of milk

lac·tone ['lak-,tōn] -n, adj

  1. any of various cyclic esters formed from hydroxy acids

lac·toovo vegetarian ['lak-tō-'ō-vō-] -n

  1. a vegetarian whose diet includes dairy products, eggs, vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts called also ovo-lacto vegetarian

lac·tose ['lak-,tōs, -,tōz] -n

  1. a disaccharide sugar C 12H 22O 11that is present in milk and yields glucose and galactose upon hydrolysis and yields esp. lactic acid upon fermentation

lac·toveg·e·tar·i·an [,lak-tō-,ve-jə-'ter-ē-ən] -n

  1. a vegetarian whose diet includes dairy products, vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts

la·cu·na [lə-'kü-nə, -'kyü-] -n, adj

  1. a blank space or a missing part : gap
    • the evident lacunae in his story -- Shirley Hazzard
  2. deficiency
    • despite all these lacunae, those reforms were a vast improvement -- New Republic
  3. a small cavity, pit, or discontinuity in an anatomical structure

la·cus·trine [lə-'kəs-trən] -adj

  1. of, relating to, formed in, living in, or growing in lakes
    • lacustrine deposits
    • lacustrine faunas

lacy ['lā-sē] -adj

  1. resembling or consisting of lace

lad ['lad] -n

  1. a male person of any age between early boyhood and maturity : boy, youth
  2. fellow, chap

ladanum ['lab-də-nəm] -n

(variant of labdanum)

  1. a soft dark fragrant bitter oleoresin derived from various rockroses (genus Cistus) and used in making perfumes

lad·der ['la-dər] -n, adj

  1. a structure for climbing up or down that consists essentially of two long sidepieces joined at intervals by crosspieces on which one may step
  2. something that resembles or suggests a ladder in form or use
  3. run
  4. a series of usu. ascending steps or stages : scale
    • climbing up the corporate ladder

lad·derback [-,bak] -adj

  1. having a back consisting of two upright posts connected by horizontal slats

ladder truck -n

  1. hook and ladder truck

lad·die ['la-dē] -n

  1. a young lad

lade ['lād] -vb

  1. to put a load or burden on or in : load
  2. to put or place as a load esp. for shipment : ship
  3. to load heavily or oppressively
  4. dip, ladle
  5. to take on cargo : load
    • a place for ships to lade
  6. to take up or convey a liquid by dipping

lad·en ['lā-dᵊn] -vt

  1. lade

laden -adj

  1. carrying a load or burden

ladida [,lä-dē-'dä] -adj

  1. affectedly refined in manners or tastes : pretentious, elegant

la·dies ['lā-dēz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. ladies' room

ladies' man -n

  1. a man who shows a marked fondness for the company of women or is esp. attentive to women

ladies' room -n

  1. a room equipped with lavatories and toilets for the use of women

ladies' tresses -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. any of a widely distributed genus ( Spiranthes) of terrestrial orchids with slender often twisted spikes of white irregular flowers

La·din [lə-'dēn] -n

  1. a Rhaeto-Romance dialect of Alto Adige in northern Italy
  2. the Rhaeto-Romance dialects of the Engadine Valley in Switzerland
  3. one speaking Ladin as a mother tongue

lading -n

  1. loading
  2. an act of bailing, dipping, or ladling
  3. cargo, freight

la·di·no [lə-'dē-(,)nō] -n

  1. a westernized Spanish-speaking Latin American
  2. mestizo
  3. judeo-spanish

la·di·no clover [lə-'dī-(,)nō-, -nə-] -n

  1. a large nutritious rapidly growing clover that is a variety of white clover and is widely planted esp. for forage called also ladino

la·dle ['lā-dᵊl] -n

  1. a deep-bowled long-handled spoon used esp. for dipping up and conveying liquids
  2. something resembling a ladle in form or function

ladle ['lād-liŋ, 'lā-dᵊl-iŋ] -vt

  1. to take up and convey in or as if in a ladle

la dol·ce vi·ta [(,)lä-'dōl-(,)chā-'vē-(,)tä] -n

  1. dolce vita

la·dy ['lā-dē] -n

  1. a woman having proprietary rights or authority esp. as a feudal superior
  2. a woman receiving the homage or devotion of a knight or lover
  3. virgin mary usu. used with Our
  4. a woman of superior social position
  5. a woman of refinement and gentle manners
  6. woman, female often used in a courteous reference
    • show the lady to a seat
    or usu. in the pl. in address
    • ladies and gentlemen
  7. wife
  8. girlfriend, mistress
  9. any of various titled women in Great Britain used as the customary title of (1) a marchioness, countess, viscountess, or baroness or (2) the wife of a knight, baronet, member of the peerage, or one having the courtesy title of lord and used as a courtesy title for the daughter of a duke, marquess, or earl
  10. a woman who is a member of an order of knighthood

lady apple -n

  1. a small red to yellow apple used esp. as a garnish

la·dy·bug ['lā-dē-,bəg] -n

  1. any of numerous small nearly hemispherical often brightly colored often spotted beetles (family Coccinellidae) of temperate and tropical regions that usu. feed both as larvae and adults on other insects (as aphids) called also lady beetle ladybird ladybird beetle

lady chapel -n

  1. a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary

Lady Day -n

  1. annunciation

la·dy·fin·ger ['lā-dē-,fiŋ-gər] -n

  1. a small finger-shaped sponge cake

la·dy·fish [-,fish] -n

  1. bonefish
  2. a large silvery bony fish ( Elops saurus) of the western Atlantic that is related to the tarpon and is often caught for sport

la·dyinwait·ing ['lā-dē-in-'wā-tiŋ] -n

  1. a lady of a queen's or a princess's household appointed to wait on her

la·dykill·er ['lā-dē-,ki-lər] -n

  1. a man who is extremely attractive to women

la·dy·like [-,līk] -adj

  1. becoming or suitable to a lady
  2. resembling a lady in appearance or manners : well-bred
  3. feeling or showing too much concern about elegance or propriety
    • ladylike embarrassment at not being the wife of a real doctor -- Lewis Vogler
  4. lacking in strength, force, or virility

la·dy·love ['lā-dē-,ləv, ,lā-dē-'] -n

  1. sweetheart, mistress

lady of the house

  1. the chief female in a household

Lady of the Lake

  1. vivian

la·dy·ship ['lā-dē-,ship] -n

  1. the condition of being a lady : rank of lady used as a title for a woman having the rank of lady
    • her Ladyship is not at home
    • if your Ladyship please

lady's mantle -n

  1. any of a genus ( Alchemilla) of widely distributed perennial herbaceous plants of the rose family
  2. one ( A. mollis) cultivated as a garden plant for its large circular grayish-green hairy leaves and small greenish-yellow flowers

lady's slipper -n

  1. any of several No. American temperate-zone orchids (as of the genus Cypripedium) having flowers whose shape suggests a slipper called also lady slipper

la·dy'ssmock [-,smäk] -n

  1. cuckooflower

lady's thumb -n

  1. a widely distributed weedy annual herb ( Polygonum persicaria) of the buckwheat family that has large lanceolate leaves often with a blackish blotch suggesting a thumbprint

La·er·tes [lā-'ər-tēz, -'er-] -n

  1. the father of Odysseus in Greek mythology
  2. the son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet

Lae·ta·re Sunday [lā-'tär-ē-, -'ter-] -n

  1. the fourth Sunday in Lent

la·e·trile ['lā-ə-(,)tril, -trəl] -n

  1. a drug derived esp. from apricot pits that contains amygdalin and has been used in the treatment of cancer although of unproved effectiveness

lag ['lag] -n

  1. one that lags or is last
  2. the act or the condition of lagging
  3. comparative slowness or retardation
  4. an amount of lagging or the time during which lagging continues
  5. a space of time esp. between related events or phenomena : interval
  6. the action of lagging for opening shot (as in marbles or billiards)
  7. a usu. long putt struck with the aim of having the ball stop near the hole
  8. to stay or fall behind : linger, loiter
  9. to move, function, or develop with comparative slowness
  10. to become retarded in attaining maximum value
  11. to slacken or weaken gradually : flag
  12. to toss or roll a marble toward a line or a cue ball toward the head cushion to determine order of play
  13. to hit a lag putt
  14. to lag behind
    • current that lag s the voltage
  15. to pitch or shoot (as a coin or marble) at a mark
  16. to hit (a golf ball or putt) with the aim of having the ball stop near the hole
  17. last, hindmost
  18. a barrel stave
  19. a stave, slat, or strip (as of wood or asbestos) forming part of a covering for a cylindrical object
  20. to cover or provide with lags
  21. to transport or jail for crime
  22. arrest
  23. a person transported for crime
  24. convict
  25. an ex-convict
  26. a jail sentence : stretch

lag·an ['la-gən] -n

  1. goods thrown into the sea with a buoy attached so that they may be found again

Lag b'Omer ['läg-'bō-mər, ,läg-bə-'ō-] -n

  1. a Jewish holiday falling on the 33d day of the Omer and commemorating the heroism of Bar Kokhba and Akiba ben Joseph

la·ger ['lä-gər] -n

  1. a beer brewed by slow fermentation and matured under refrigeration

lag·gard ['la-gərd] -adj, adv or adj, n

  1. lagging or tending to lag : dilatory

laggard -n

  1. one that lags or lingers

lagging -n

  1. : a lag or material used for making lags: as
  2. material for thermal insulation esp. around a cylindrical object
  3. planking used esp. for preventing cave-ins in earthwork or for supporting an arch during construction

la·gniappe ['lan-,yap, lan-'] -n

  1. a small gift given a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase
  2. something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure

lago·morph ['la-gə-,mȯrf] -n

  1. any of an order (Lagomorpha) of gnawing herbivorous mammals having two pairs of incisors in the upper jaw one behind the other and comprising the rabbits, hares, and pikas

la·goon [lə-'gün] -n, adj

  1. a shallow sound, channel, or pond near or communicating with a larger body of water
  2. a shallow artificial pool or pond (as for the processing of sewage or storage of a liquid)

La·grang·ian [lə-'grän-jē-ən, -'gräⁿ-zhē-] -n

  1. a function that describes the state of a dynamic system in terms of position coordinates and their time derivatives and that is equal to the difference between the potential energy and kinetic energy

la·har ['lä-,här] -n

  1. a moving fluid mass composed of volcanic debris and water

Lahn·da ['län-də] -n

  1. an Indo-Aryan dialect group of eastern Pakistan

la·ical ['lā-ə-kəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. of or relating to the laity : secular

la·i·cism ['lā-ə-,si-zəm] -n

  1. a political system characterized by the exclusion of ecclesiastical control and influence

la·i·cize ['lā-ə-,sīz] -vt, n

  1. to reduce to lay status
  2. to put under the direction of or open to the laity

laid ['lā] -vb

(variant of lay)

  1. to beat or strike down with force
  2. to put or set down
    • lay your books on the table
  3. to place for rest or sleep
  4. bury
  5. to bring forth and deposit (an egg)
  6. calm, allay
    • lay the dust
  7. bet, wager
  8. to press down giving a smooth and even surface
  9. to dispose or spread over or on a surface
    • lay track
    • lay plaster
  10. to set in order or position
    • lay a table for dinner
    • lay brick
  11. to put (strands) in place and twist to form a rope, hawser, or cable
  12. to make by so doing
    • lay up rope
  13. to impose as a duty, burden, or punishment
    • lay a tax
  14. to put as a burden of reproach
    • laid the blame on her
  15. to advance as an accusation : impute
    • the disaster was laid to faulty inspection
  16. to place (something immaterial) on something
    • lay stress on grammar
  17. prepare, contrive
    • a well- laid plan
  18. to bring against or into contact with something : apply
    • laid the watch to his ear
  19. to prepare or position for action or operation
    • lay a fire in the fireplace
  20. to adjust (a gun) to the proper direction and elevation
  21. to bring to a specified condition
    • lay waste the land
  22. assert, allege
    • lay claim to an estate
  23. to submit for examination and judgment
    • laid her case before the commission
  24. to copulate with
  25. to produce and deposit eggs
  26. lie
  27. wager, bet
  28. plan, prepare
  29. to apply oneself vigorously
    • laid to his oars
  30. to proceed to a specified place or position on a ship
    • lay aloft
  31. covert, lair
  32. something (as a layer) that lies or is laid
  33. line of action : plan
  34. line of work : occupation
  35. terms of sale or employment : price
  36. share of profit (as on a whaling voyage) paid in lieu of wages
  37. the amount of advance of any point in a rope strand for one turn
  38. the nature of a fiber rope as determined by the amount of twist, the angle of the strands, and the angle of the threads in the strands
  39. the way in which a thing lies or is laid in relation to something else
    • the lay of the land
  40. the state of one that lays eggs
    • hens coming into lay
  41. a partner in sexual intercourse
  42. sexual intercourse

laidback ['lād-'bak, ,lād-] -adj, n

  1. having a relaxed style or character
    • laidback music

laid paper ['lād-] -n

  1. paper watermarked with fine lines running across the grain

lain ['lī] -vi, n

(variant of lie)

  1. to be or to stay at rest in a horizontal position : be prostrate : rest, recline
    • lie motionless
    • lie asleep
  2. to assume a horizontal position often used with down
  3. to reside temporarily : stay for the night : lodge
  4. to have sexual intercourse used with with
  5. to remain inactive (as in concealment)
    • lie in wait
  6. to be in a helpless or defenseless state
    • the town lay at the mercy of the invaders
  7. to be or remain in a flat or horizontal position upon a broad support
    • books lying on the table
  8. to have direction : extend
    • the route lay to the west
  9. to occupy a certain relative place or position
    • hills lie behind us
  10. to have a place in relation to something else
    • the real reason lie s deeper
  11. to have an effect through mere presence, weight, or relative position
    • remorse lay heavily on him
  12. to be sustainable or admissible
  13. to remain at anchor or becalmed
  14. to have place : exist
    • the choice lay between fighting or surrendering
  15. consist, belong
    • the success of the book lie s in its direct style
    • responsibility lay with the adults
  16. remain
  17. to remain unused, unsought, or uncared for
  18. lay
  19. the position or situation in which something lies
    • a golf ball in a difficult lie
  20. the haunt of an animal (as a fish) : covert
  21. an act or instance of lying or resting
  22. to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive
  23. to create a false or misleading impression
  24. to bring about by telling lies
    • lied his way out of trouble
  25. an assertion of something known or believed by the speaker to be untrue with intent to deceive
  26. an untrue or inaccurate statement that may or may not be believed true by the speaker
  27. something that misleads or deceives
  28. a charge of lying

lair ['ler] -n

  1. a resting or sleeping place : bed
  2. the resting or living place of a wild animal : den
  3. a refuge or place for hiding
  4. to cause to sink in mire
  5. wallow

laird ['lerd] -n, adj

  1. a landed proprietor

lais·sezfaire [,le-,sā-'fer, ,lā-, -,zā-] -n, adj

  1. a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs beyond the minimum necessary for the maintenance of peace and property rights
  2. a philosophy or practice characterized by a usu. deliberate abstention from direction or interference esp. with individual freedom of choice and action

lais·sezpas·ser [-,pa-'sā] -n

  1. permit, pass

lai·tance ['lā-tᵊn(t)s] -n

  1. an accumulation of fine particles on the surface of fresh concrete due to an upward movement of water (as when excessive mixing water is used)

la·ity ['lā-ə-tē] -n

  1. the people of a religious faith as distinguished from its clergy
  2. the mass of the people as distinguished from those of a particular profession or those specially skilled

La·ius ['lā-əs, 'lī-əs] -n

  1. a king of Thebes slain by his son Oedipus in fulfillment of an oracle

lake ['lāk] -n, adj

  1. a considerable inland body of standing water
  2. a pool of other liquid (as lava, oil, or pitch)
  3. a purplish red pigment prepared from lac or cochineal
  4. any of numerous usu. bright translucent organic pigments composed essentially of a soluble dye absorbed on or combined with an inorganic carrier
  5. carmine
  6. to cause (blood) to undergo a physiological change in which the hemoglobin becomes dissolved in the plasma
  7. to undergo the process by which hemoglobin becomes dissolved in the plasma

lake dwelling -n

  1. a dwelling built on piles in a lake
  2. one built in prehistoric times

lake effect -n

  1. a meteorological phenomenon in which warm moist air rising from a body of water mixes with cold dry air overhead resulting in precipitation esp. downwind usu. hyphenated when used attributively
    • lake-effect snows

lake·front ['lāk-,frənt] -n

  1. an area fronting on a lake

lake herring -n

  1. a cisco ( Coregonus artedii) found from the Mississippi River basin, Great Lakes, and St. Lawrence River northward and important as a commercial food fish

Lake·land terrier ['lāk-lənd-, -,land-] -n

  1. any of an English breed of rather small harsh-coated terriers

lak·er ['lā-kər] -n

  1. one associated with a lake
  2. a fish (as a lake trout) living in or taken from a lake

lake·shore ['lāk-,shȯr] -n

  1. the shore of a lake
  2. lakefront

lake·side [-,sīd] -n

  1. lakefront

lake trout -n

  1. any of various trout and salmon found in lakes
  2. mackinaw trout

lakh ['läk, 'lak] -n, adj

  1. one hundred thousand
    • 50 lakh s of rupees
  2. a great number

La·ko·ta [lə-'kō-tə] -n

  1. a member of a western division of the Dakota peoples
  2. a dialect of Dakota

lala land ['lä-,lä-] -n

  1. a euphoric dreamlike mental state detached from the harsher realities of life

lal·lan ['lō-lənd, -,land] -n

(variant of lowland)

  1. low or level country

Lal·lans ['la-lənz] -n

  1. Scots as spoken and written in the lowlands of Scotland

lal·ly column ['lä-lē-] -n

  1. a concrete-filled cylindrical steel structural column

lallygag ['lä-lē-,gag] -vi

(variant of lollygag)

  1. fool around : dawdle

lam ['lam] -vb

  1. to beat soundly : thrash
  2. strike, thrash
  3. to flee hastily : scram
  4. sudden or hurried flight esp. from the law
    • on the lam

Lam -abbr

  1. Lamentations

la·ma ['lä-mə] -n

  1. a Lamaist monk

La·ma·ism ['lä-mə-,i-zəm] -n, n or adj, adj

  1. tibetan buddhism

La·marck·ism [lə-'mär-,ki-zəm] -n, adj

  1. a theory of organic evolution asserting that environmental changes cause structural changes in animals and plants that are transmitted to offspring

la·ma·sery ['lä-mə-,ser-ē] -n

  1. a monastery of lamas

La·maze [lə-'mäz] -adj

  1. relating to or being a method of childbirth that involves psychological and physical preparation by the mother in order to suppress pain and facilitate delivery without drugs

lamb ['lam] -n, adj

  1. a young sheep
  2. one that is less than one year old or without permanent teeth
  3. the young of various animals (as the smaller antelopes) other than sheep
  4. a gentle or weak person
  5. dear, pet
  6. a person easily cheated or deceived esp. in trading securities
  7. the flesh of a lamb used as food
  8. lambskin
  9. to bring forth a lamb
  10. to bring forth (a lamb)
  11. to tend (ewes) at lambing time

lam·baste [(,)lam-'bāst, -'bast; 'lam-,] -vt

  1. to assault violently : beat, whip
  2. to attack verbally : censure
    • critics lambasted his performance

lamb·da ['lam-də] -n

  1. the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet
  2. an uncharged unstable elementary particle that has a mass 2183 times that of an electron and that decays typically into a nucleon and a pion

lam·ben·cy ['lam-bən(t)-sē] -n

  1. the quality, state, or an instance of being lambent

lam·bent ['lam-bənt] -adj, adv

  1. playing lightly on or over a surface : flickering
  2. softly bright or radiant
  3. marked by lightness or brilliance esp. of expression

lam·bert ['lam-bərt] -n

  1. the centimeter-gram-second unit of brightness equal to the brightness of a perfectly diffusing surface that radiates or reflects one lumen per square centimeter

lamb·kill ['lam-,kil] -n

  1. sheep laurel

lam·bre·quin ['lam-bər-kən, -bri-kən] -n

  1. a scarf used to cover a knight's helmet
  2. a short decorative drapery for a shelf edge or for the top of a window casing : valance

Lam·brus·co [lam-'brü-(,)skō, -'bru̇-] -n

  1. a fruity and fizzy red Italian table wine

lamb's ears -n pl but usu sing in constr

  1. a widely cultivated perennial southwest Asian herb ( Stachys byzantinasyn. S. olympica) of the mint family having leaves covered with densely matted hairs

lamb·skin ['lam-,skin] -n

  1. a lamb's skin or a small fine-grade sheepskin or the leather made from either
  2. such a skin dressed with the wool on and used esp. for winter clothing

lamb's lettuce -n

  1. corn salad

lamb'squar·ter ['lamz-,kwȯ(r)-tər, -,kȯ(r)-] -n

  1. a goosefoot ( Chenopodium album) having glaucous foliage that is sometimes used as greens usu. used in pl. but sing. or pl. in constr.
  2. any of several oraches usu. used in pl. but sing. or pl. in constr.

lame ['lām] -adj, adv, n

  1. having a body part and esp. a limb so disabled as to impair freedom of movement
  2. marked by stiffness and soreness
    • a lame shoulder
  3. lacking needful or desirable substance : weak, ineffectual
    • a lame excuse
  4. not being in the know : square
  5. inferior
    • a lame school
  6. contemptible, nasty
    • lame racist jokes
  7. to make lame : cripple
  8. to make weak or ineffective : disable
  9. a person who is not in the know : square
  10. a thin plate esp. of metal : lamina
  11. small overlapping steel plates joined to slide on one another (as in medieval armor)

la·me [lä-'mā, la-] -n

  1. a brocaded clothing fabric made from any of various fibers combined with tinsel filling threads

lame·brain ['lām-,brān] -n, adj

  1. a dull-witted person : dolt

la·med ['lä-,med] -n

  1. the 12th letter of the Hebrew alphabet

lame duck ['lām-'dək] -n, adj

  1. one that is weak or that falls behind in ability or achievement
  2. an ailing company
  3. an elected official or group continuing to hold political office during the period between the election and the inauguration of a successor
  4. one whose position or term of office will soon end

la·mel·la [lə-'me-lə] -n

  1. : a thin flat scale, membrane, or layer: as
  2. one of the thin plates composing the gills of a bivalve mollusk
  3. a gill of a mushroom

la·mel·lar [lə-'me-lər] -adj

  1. composed of or arranged in lamellae
  2. having the form of a thin plate
    • lamellar armor

la·mel·late [lə-'me-lət, 'la-mə-,lāt] -adj, adv

  1. composed of or furnished with lamellae
  2. lamellar

la·mel·li·branch [lə-'me-lə-,braŋk] -n, adj

  1. any of a class (Lamellibranchia) of bivalve mollusks (as clams, oysters, and mussels) that have the body bilaterally symmetrical, compressed, and enclosed within the mantle and that build up a shell whose right and left parts are connected by a hinge over the animal's back

la·ment [lə-'ment] -vb

  1. to mourn aloud : wail
  2. to express sorrow, mourning, or regret for often demonstratively : mourn
  3. to regret strongly

lament -n

  1. a crying out in grief : wailing
  2. dirge, elegy
  3. complaint

la·men·ta·ble [lə-'men-tə-bəl also 'la-mən-] -adj, n, adv

  1. that is to be regretted or lamented : deplorable
  2. expressing grief : mournful

lam·en·ta·tion [,la-mən-'tā-shən] -n

  1. an act or instance of lamenting

Lam·en·ta·tions [-shənz] -n pl but sing in constr

  1. a poetic book on the fall of Jerusalem in canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture

la·ment·ed [lə-'men-təd] -adj, adv

  1. mourned for

la·mia ['lā-mē-ə] -n

  1. a female demon : vampire

lamin- -comb form

  1. lamina
    • lamin ar

lam·i·na ['la-mə-nə] -n

  1. a thin plate or scale : layer
  2. the expanded part of a foliage leaf
  3. one of the narrow thin parallel plates of soft vascular sensitive tissue that cover the flesh within the wall of a hoof

lam·i·nal ['la-mə-nᵊl] -adj

  1. laminar
  2. produced with the blade of the tongue (as sh, zh, ch, j, or y)

lamina pro·pria [-'prō-prē-ə] -n

  1. a highly vascular layer of connective tissue under the basement membrane lining a layer of epithelium

lam·i·nar ['la-mə-nər] -adj

  1. arranged in, consisting of, or resembling laminae

laminar flow -n

  1. uninterrupted flow in a fluid near a solid boundary in which the direction of flow at every point remains constant

lam·i·nar·ia [,la-mə-'ner-ē-ə] -n, adj or n

  1. any of a genus ( Laminaria) of large chiefly perennial kelps with an unbranched cylindrical or flattened stipe and a smooth or convoluted blade
  2. any of various related kelps (order Laminariales)

lam·i·nar·in [,lam-ə-'ner-ən] -n

  1. a polysaccharide that is found in various brown algae and yields only glucose on hydrolysis

lam·i·nate ['la-mə-,nāt] -vb, n

  1. to roll or compress into a thin plate
  2. to separate into laminae
  3. to make (as a windshield) by uniting superposed layers of one or more materials
  4. to unite (layers of material) by an adhesive or other means
  5. to divide into laminae
  6. consisting of laminae
  7. bearing or covered with laminae
  8. a product made by laminating

laminated -adj

  1. laminate
  2. composed of layers of firmly united material
  3. made by bonding or impregnating superposed layers (as of paper, wood, or fabric) with resin and compressing under heat

lam·i·na·tion [,la-mə-'nā-shən] -n

  1. the process of laminating
  2. the state of being laminated
  3. a laminated structure
  4. lamina

lam·i·nin ['la-mə-nən] -n

  1. a glycoprotein component of connective tissue basement membrane that promotes cell adhesion

lam·i·ni·tis [,la-mə-'nī-təs] -n

  1. inflammation of the laminae esp. in the hoof of a horse called also founder

Lam·mas ['la-məs] -n

  1. August 1 orig. celebrated in England as a harvest festival called also Lammas Day
  2. the time of the year around Lammas Day

Lam·mas·tide [-,tīd] -n

  1. lammas

lam·mer·gei·er ['la-mər-,gī(-ə)r] -n

  1. a large Old World vulture ( Gypaetus barbatus) that occurs in mountain regions and in flight resembles a huge falcon

lamp ['lamp] -n

  1. : any of various devices for producing light or sometimes heat: as
  2. a vessel with a wick for burning an inflammable liquid (as oil) to produce light
  3. a glass bulb or tube that emits light produced by electricity (as an incandescent lightbulb or fluorescent lamp)
  4. a decorative appliance housing a lamp that is usu. covered by a shade
  5. a celestial body
  6. a source of intellectual or spiritual illumination
  7. eye usu. used in pl.

lamp·black [-,blak] -n

  1. a finely powdered black soot deposited in incomplete combustion of carbonaceous materials and used chiefly as a pigment (as in paints, enamels, and printing inks)

lamp·brush chromosome ['lamp-,brəsh-] -n

  1. a greatly enlarged diplotene chromosome that has apparently filamentous granular loops extending from the chromomeres and is characteristic of some animal oocytes

lamp·light ['lamp-,līt] -n

  1. the light of a lamp

lamp·light·er [-,lī-tər] -n

  1. one that lights a lamp

lam·poon [lam-'pün] -n

  1. satire
  2. a harsh satire usu. directed against an individual

lampoon [-'pü-nə-rē, -'pün-rē] -vt, n

  1. to make the subject of a lampoon : ridicule

lamp·post ['lam(p)-,pōst] -n

  1. a post supporting a usu. outdoor lamp or lantern

lam·prey ['lam-prē, -,prā] -n

  1. any of a family (Petromyzontidae) of eel-shaped freshwater or anadromous jawless fishes that include those cyclostomes having well-developed eyes and a large disk-shaped suctorial mouth armed with horny teeth called also lamprey eel

lamp·shell ['lamp-,shel] -n

  1. brachiopod

lam·ster ['lam(p)-stər] -n

  1. a fugitive esp. from the law

LAN ['lan, ,el-(,)ā-'en] -n

  1. local area network

la·nai [lə-'nī, lä-] -n

  1. porch, veranda

Lan·ca·shire ['laŋ-kə-,shir, -shər] -n

  1. a moist crumbly white English cheese that is used esp. in cooking

Lan·cas·tri·an [lan-'kas-trē-ən, laŋ-] -adj

  1. of or relating to the English royal house that ruled from 1399 to 1461

lance ['lan(t)s] -n

  1. a steel-tipped spear carried by mounted knights or light cavalry
  2. : any of various sharp objects suggestive of a lance: as
  3. lancet
  4. a spear used for killing whales or fish
  5. lancer
  6. to pierce with or as if with a lance
  7. to open with or as if with a lancet
    • lance a boil
  8. to throw forward : hurl
  9. to move forward quickly

lance corporal -n

  1. an enlisted man in the marine corps ranking above a private first class and below a corporal

lance·let ['lan(t)-slət] -n

  1. any of a subphylum (Cephalochordata) of small translucent marine primitive chordate animals that are fishlike in appearance and usu. live partially buried on the ocean floor called also amphioxus

Lan·ce·lot ['lan(t)-sə-,lät, 'län(t)-, -s(ə-)lət] -n

  1. a knight of the Round Table and lover of Queen Guinevere

lan·ce·o·late ['lan(t)-sē-ə-,lāt] -adj

  1. shaped like a lance head
  2. tapering to a point at the apex and sometimes at the base
    • lanceolate leaves
    • lanceolate prisms

lanc·er ['lan(t)-sər] -n

  1. one who carries a lance
  2. a member of a military unit formerly composed of light cavalry armed with lances
  3. a set of five quadrilles each in a different meter
  4. the music for such dances

lan·cet ['lan(t)-sət] -n

  1. a sharp-pointed and commonly 2-edged surgical instrument used to make small incisions
  2. lancet window
  3. lancet arch

lancet arch -n

  1. an acutely pointed arch

lan·cet·ed ['lan(t)-sə-təd] -adj

  1. having a lancet arch or lancet windows

lancet window -n

  1. a high narrow window with an acutely pointed head and without tracery

lance·wood ['lan(t)s-,wu̇d] -n

  1. a tough elastic wood used esp. for shafts, fishing rods, and bows
  2. a tropical American tree ( Oxandra lanceolata) of the custard-apple family yielding this wood

lan·ci·nat·ing ['lan(t)-sə-,nā-tiŋ] -adj

  1. characterized by piercing or stabbing sensations
    • lancinating pain

Lancs -abbr

  1. Lancashire

land ['land] -n, adj

  1. the solid part of the surface of the earth
  2. a corresponding part of a celestial body (as the moon)
  3. ground or soil of a specified situation, nature, or quality
    • dry land
  4. the surface of the earth and all its natural resources
  5. : a portion of the earth's solid surface distinguishable by boundaries or ownership
    • bought land in the country
    : as
  6. country
    • the finest cheese in all the land
  7. a rural area characterized by farming or ranching
  8. farming or ranching as a way of life
    • wanted to move back to the land
  9. realm, domain
    • in the land of dreams
    sometimes used in combination
    • TV- land
  10. the people of a country
    • the land rose in rebellion
  11. an area of a partly machined surface (as the inside of a gun barrel) that is left without machining
  12. to set or put on shore from a ship : disembark
  13. to set down after conveying
  14. to cause to reach or come to rest in a particular place
    • never land ed a punch
  15. to bring to a specified condition
    • his wit land ed him in trouble
  16. to bring (as an airplane) to a landing
  17. to complete successfully by landing
    • the skater land ed all her jumps
  18. to catch and bring in (as a fish)
  19. gain, secure
    • land a job
    • land ed the leading role
  20. to go ashore from a ship : disembark
  21. to touch at a place on shore
  22. to come to the end of a course or to a stage in a journey : arrive
    • took a wrong turn and land ed on a dead-end street
  23. to come to be in a condition or situation
    • land ed in jail
  24. to strike or meet a surface (as after a fall)
    • land ed on my head
  25. to alight on a surface

lan·dau ['lan-,dau̇, -,dȯ] -n

  1. a four-wheel carriage with a top divided into two sections that can be let down, thrown back, or removed and with a raised seat outside for the driver

lan·dau·let [,lan-də-'let] -n

  1. a small landau

land bank -n

  1. a bank that provides financing for land development and for farm mortgages

land·ed ['lan-dəd] -adj

  1. having an estate in land
    • landed proprietors
  2. consisting in or derived from land or real estate
    • landed wealth

land·er ['lan-dər] -n

  1. one that lands
  2. a space vehicle that is designed to land on a celestial body (as the moon or a planet)

land·fall ['lan(d)-,fȯl] -n

  1. a sighting or making of land after a voyage or flight
  2. the land first sighted on a voyage or flight

land·fill [-,fil] -n, vt

  1. an area built up by landfill
  2. a system of trash and garbage disposal in which the waste is buried between layers of earth to build up low-lying land called also sanitary landfill

land·form [-,fȯrm] -n

  1. a natural feature of a land surface

land·grab [-,grab] -n

  1. a usu. swift acquisition of property (as land or patent rights) often by fraud or force

land grant -n

  1. a grant of land made by the government esp. for roads, railroads, or agricultural colleges

land·hold·er ['land-,hōl-dər] -n

  1. a holder or owner of land

land·hold·ing [-,hōl-diŋ] -n, adj

  1. the state or fact of holding or owning land
  2. property in land

land·ing ['lan-diŋ] -n

  1. an act or process of one that lands
  2. a going or bringing to a surface (as land or shore) after a voyage or flight
  3. a place for discharging and taking on passengers and cargo
  4. a level part of a staircase (as at the end of a flight of stairs)
  5. the amount of fish or shellfish landed annually in a particular area

landing craft -n

  1. any of numerous naval craft designed for conveying troops and equipment from a transport to a beach in an amphibious assault

landing field -n

  1. a field where aircraft may land and take off

landing gear -n

  1. the part that supports the weight of an airplane or spacecraft when in contact with the land or water

landing strip -n

  1. airstrip

land·la·dy ['land-,lā-dē] -n

  1. a woman who is a landlord

land·line [-,līn] -n

  1. a line of communication (as by telephone cable) on land

land·locked [-,läkt] -adj

  1. enclosed or nearly enclosed by land
    • a landlocked country
  2. confined to freshwater by some barrier
    • landlocked salmon
  3. living or located away from the ocean
    • a landlocked sailor

land·lord [-,lȯrd] -n

  1. the owner of property (as land, houses, or apartments) that is leased or rented to another
  2. the master of an inn or lodging house : innkeeper

land·lord·ism [-,lȯr-,di-zəm] -n

  1. an economic system or practice by which ownership of land is vested in one who leases it to cultivators

land·lub·ber [-,lə-bər] -n, adj

  1. landsman
    • clumsy landlubber s learning to sail

land·mark [-,märk] -n

  1. an object (as a stone or tree) that marks the boundary of land
  2. a conspicuous object on land that marks a locality
  3. an anatomical structure used as a point of orientation in locating other structures
  4. an event or development that marks a turning point or a stage
  5. a structure (as a building) of unusual historical and usu. aesthetic interest
  6. one that is officially designated and set aside for preservation

land·mass [-,mas] -n

  1. a large area of land
    • continental landmass es

land mine -n

  1. a mine usu. placed just below the surface of the ground and designed to be exploded usu. by the weight of vehicles or troops passing over it
  2. booby trap

land office -n

  1. a government office in which entries upon and sales of public land are registered

landoffice business -n

  1. extensive and rapid business
    • money changers...did a land-office business on payday -- F. J. Haskin

land·own·er ['land-,ō-nər] -n, adj or n

  1. an owner of land

landpoor ['lan(d)-,pu̇r] -adj

  1. owning so much unprofitable or encumbered land as to lack funds to develop the land or pay the charges due on it

Land·ra·ce ['län(d)-,rä-sə] -n

  1. a swine of any of several breeds locally developed in northern Europe

land reform -n

  1. measures designed to effect a more equitable distribution of agricultural land esp. by governmental action
  2. the resulting redistribution

land·scape ['lan(d)-,skāp] -n

  1. a picture representing a view of natural inland scenery
  2. the art of depicting such scenery
  3. the landforms of a region in the aggregate
  4. a portion of territory that can be viewed at one time from one place
  5. a particular area of activity : scene
    • the political landscape
  6. vista, prospect

landscape -vb, n

  1. to modify or ornament (a natural landscape) by altering the plant cover
  2. to engage in landscape gardening
  3. of, relating to, or being a document having the horizontal dimension longer than the vertical dimension

landscape architect -n

  1. a person who develops land for human use and enjoyment through effective placement of structures, vehicular and pedestrian ways, and plantings

landscape gardener -n

  1. a person who is engaged in the development and decorative planting of gardens and grounds

land·scap·ist ['lan(d)-,skā-pist] -n

  1. a painter of landscapes

land·slide ['lan(d)-,slīd] -n

  1. the usu. rapid downward movement of a mass of rock, earth, or artificial fill on a slope
  2. the mass that moves down
  3. a great majority of votes for one side
  4. an overwhelming victory

landslide [-,slid] -vi

  1. to produce a landslide
  2. to win an election by a heavy majority

land·slip [-,slip] -n

  1. landslide

Lands·ml ['län(t)s-,mȯl] -n

  1. nynorsk

lands·man ['lan(d)z-mən] -n

  1. a fellow countryman
  2. a person who lives on the land
  3. one who knows little or nothing of the sea or seamanship

land·ward ['land-wərd] -adv or adj

  1. to or toward the land

land yacht -n

  1. a 3-wheel wind-driven recreation vehicle consisting usu. of a bare-frame structure and a single sail and used esp. on areas of firmly packed sand
  2. a large motor vehicle

lane ['lān] -n

  1. a narrow passageway between fences or hedges
  2. : a relatively narrow way or track: as
  3. an ocean route used by or prescribed for ships
  4. a strip of roadway for a single line of vehicles
  5. air lane
  6. any of several parallel courses on a track or swimming pool in which a competitor must stay during a race
  7. an unmarked lengthwise division of a playing area which defines the playing zone of a particular player
  8. a narrow hardwood surface having pins at one end and a gutter along each side that is used in bowling
  9. free throw lane

lane ['lōn] -adj, n

(variant of lone)

  1. having no company : solitary
  2. preferring solitude
  3. only, sole
  4. situated by itself : isolated

lane·way ['lān-,wā] -n

  1. lane

lang -abbr

  1. language

lang·bein·ite ['laŋ-,bī-,nīt] -n

  1. a mineral that is a sulfate of potassium and magnesium used in the fertilizer industry

Lang·er·hans cell ['läŋ-ər-,hän(t)s-] -n

  1. a cell found in the epidermis that functions as an antigen-presenting cell which binds antigen entering through the skin

lang·lauf ['läŋ-,lau̇f] -n

  1. cross-country running or racing on skis

lang·ley ['laŋ-lē] -n

  1. a unit of solar radiation equivalent to one gram calorie per square centimeter of irradiated surface

Lan·go·bard ['laŋ-gə-,bärd] -n, adj

  1. lombard

lan·gos·ti·no [,laŋ-gə-'stē-(,)nō] -n

  1. any of several edible crustaceans (as of the genus Pleuroncodes) that are or resemble small lobsters or large shrimp
  2. langoustine

lan·gouste [läⁿ-'güst] -n

  1. spiny lobster

lan·gous·tine [,laŋ-gə-'stēn] -n

  1. a small edible lobster ( Nephrops norvegicus) of European seas having long slender claws called also Dublin Bay prawn Norway lobster

lang syne [(,)laŋ-'zīn, -'sīn] -adv

  1. at a distant time in the past
  2. times past
    • should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days o' auld lang syne -- Robert Burns

lan·guage ['laŋ-gwij, -wij] -n

  1. the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community
  2. audible, articulate, meaningful sound as produced by the action of the vocal organs
  3. a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings
  4. the suggestion by objects, actions, or conditions of associated ideas or feelings
    • language in their very gesture -- Shak.
  5. the means by which animals communicate
  6. a formal system of signs and symbols (as FORTRAN or a calculus in logic) including rules for the formation and transformation of admissible expressions
  7. machine language
  8. form or manner of verbal expression
  9. style
  10. the vocabulary and phraseology belonging to an art or a department of knowledge
  11. profanity
  12. the study of language esp. as a school subject
  13. specific words esp. in a law or regulation

language arts -n pl

  1. the subjects (as reading, spelling, literature, and composition) that aim at developing the student's comprehension and capacity for use of written and oral language

langue ['läⁿg] -n

  1. language viewed abstractly as a system of forms and conventions used for communication in a community
  2. competence

langue d'oc [läŋ-'dȯk, läⁿg-'dȯk] -n

  1. occitan

langue d'oil [läŋ-'dȯi(-ə)l, -'dȯi; läⁿg-dȯ-'ēl, -'dȯi] -n

  1. french

lan·guet ['laŋ-gwət, laŋ-'gwet] -n

  1. something resembling the tongue in form or function

lan·guid ['laŋ-gwəd] -adj, adv, n

  1. drooping or flagging from or as if from exhaustion : weak
  2. sluggish in character or disposition : listless
  3. lacking force or quickness of movement : slow

lan·guish ['laŋ-gwish] -vi, n, adv

  1. to be or become feeble, weak, or enervated
  2. to be or live in a state of depression or decreasing vitality
  3. to become dispirited
  4. to suffer neglect
    • the bill languish ed in the Senate for eight months
  5. to assume an expression of grief or emotion appealing for sympathy

lan·guor ['laŋ-gər also -ər] -n

  1. weakness or weariness of body or mind
  2. listless indolence or inertia

lan·guor·ous ['laŋ-gə-rəs, -grəs also -ə-rəs] -adj, adv

  1. producing or tending to produce languor
    • a languorous climate
  2. full of or characterized by languor

lan·gur [läŋ-'gu̇r] -n

  1. any of several slender long-tailed Asian monkeys (subfamily Colobinae)

La Ni·a [lä-'nē-nyə, -nyä] -n

  1. an irregularly recurring upwelling of unusually cold water to the ocean surface along the western coast of South America that often occurs following an El Nio and that disrupts typical regional and global weather patterns esp. in a manner opposite to that of El Nio

lank ['laŋk] -adj, adv, n

  1. not well filled out : slender, thin
    • lank cattle
  2. insufficient in quantity, degree, or extent
  3. hanging straight and limp without spring or curl

lanky ['laŋ-kē] -adj, adv, n

  1. ungracefully tall and thin

lan·ner ['la-nər] -n

  1. a falcon ( Falco biarmicus) of southern Europe, southwestern Asia, and Africa
  2. a female lanner

lan·ner·et [,la-nə-'ret] -n

  1. a male lanner

lan·o·lin ['la-nə-lən] -n

  1. wool grease esp. when refined for use in ointments and cosmetics

lan·ta·na [lan-'tä-nə] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Lantana) of tropical shrubs or perennial herbs of the vervain family with showy heads of small bright flowers

lan·tern ['lan-tərn] -n

  1. a usu. portable protective case for a light with transparent openings
  2. lighthouse
  3. the chamber in a lighthouse containing the light
  4. a structure with glazed or open sides above an opening in a roof for light or ventilation
  5. a small tower or cupola or one stage of a cupola
  6. projector

lantern fish -n

  1. any of a family (Myctophidae) of small deep-sea bony fishes that have a large mouth, large eyes, and usu. numerous photophores

lantern fly -n

  1. any of several large brightly marked homopterous insects (family Fulgoridae) having the front of the head prolonged into a hollow structure

lantern jaw ['lan-tərn-,jȯd] -n, adj

  1. an undershot jaw

lan·tha·nide ['lan(t)-thə-,nīd] -n

  1. any of the series of elements with increasing atomic numbers that begins with lanthanum or cerium and ends with lutetium

lan·tha·num [-nəm] -n

  1. a white soft malleable metallic element that occurs in rare-earth minerals

lant·horn ['lan-tərn] -n

  1. lantern

la·nu·gi·nous [lə-'nü-jə-nəs, -'nyü-] -adj

  1. covered with down or fine soft hair : downy

la·nu·go [lə-'nü-(,)gō, -'nyü-] -n

  1. a dense cottony or downy growth of hair
  2. the soft woolly hair that covers the fetus of some mammals

lan·yard ['lan-yərd] -n

  1. a piece of rope or line for fastening something in a ship
  2. one of the pieces passing through deadeyes to extend shrouds or stays
  3. a cord or strap to hold something (as a knife or a whistle) and usu. worn around the neck
  4. a cord worn as a symbol of a military citation
  5. a strong line used to activate a system (as in firing a cannon)

Lao ['lau̇] -n, adj

  1. a member of a Buddhist people living in Laos and adjacent parts of northeastern Thailand
  2. the Thai language of the Lao people

La·oc·o·on [lā-'ä-kə-,wän] -n

  1. a Trojan priest killed with his sons by two sea serpents after warning the Trojans against the wooden horse

La·od·i·ce·an [lā-,ä-də-'sē-ən, ,lā-ō-də-] -adj, n

  1. lukewarm or indifferent in religion or politics

lao·gai ['lau̇-'gī] -n

  1. the penal system of China consisting of a network of labor camps
  2. such a labor camp

Lao·tian [lā-'ō-shən, 'lau̇-shən] -n, adj

  1. a native or inhabitant of Laos
  2. lao
  3. lao

lap ['lap] -n

  1. a loose overlapping or hanging panel or flap esp. of a garment
  2. the skirt of a coat or dress
  3. the clothing that lies on the knees, thighs, and lower part of the trunk when one sits
  4. the front part of the lower trunk and thighs of a seated person
  5. responsible custody : control
    • going to drop the whole thing in your lap -- Hamilton Basso
  6. to fold over or around something : wind
  7. to envelop entirely : swathe
  8. to fold over esp. into layers
  9. to hold protectively in or as if in the lap : cuddle
  10. to place over and cover a part of : overlap
    • lap shingles on a roof
  11. to join (as two boards) by a lap joint
  12. to dress, smooth, or polish (as a metal surface) to a high degree of refinement or accuracy
  13. to shape or fit by working two surfaces together with or without abrasives until a very close fit is produced
  14. to overtake and thereby lead or increase the lead over (another contestant) by a full circuit of a racecourse
  15. to complete the circuit of (a racecourse)
  16. fold, wind
  17. to project beyond or spread over something
  18. to lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another : overlap
  19. to traverse a course
  20. the amount by which one object overlaps or projects beyond another
  21. the part of an object that overlaps another
  22. a smoothing and polishing tool usu. consisting of a piece of wood, leather, felt, or soft metal in a special shape used with or without an embedded abrasive
  23. a doubling or layering of a flexible substance (as fibers or paper)
  24. the act or an instance of traversing a course (as a racing track or swimming pool)
  25. the distance covered
  26. one segment of a larger unit (as a journey)
  27. one complete turn (as of a rope around a drum)
  28. to take in food or drink with the tongue
  29. to make a gentle intermittent splashing sound
  30. to move in little waves : wash
  31. to take in (food or drink) with the tongue
  32. to take in or absorb eagerly or quickly used with up
    • the crowd lapped up every word he said
  33. to flow or splash against in little waves
  34. an act or instance of lapping
  35. the amount that can be carried to the mouth by one lick or scoop of the tongue
  36. a thin or weak beverage or food
  37. a gentle splashing sound

laparo- -comb form

  1. abdominal wall
    • laparo tomy

lap·a·ro·scope ['la-p(ə-)rə-,skōp] -n

  1. a fiberoptic instrument inserted through an incision in the abdominal wall and used to examine visually the interior of the peritoneal cavity

lap·a·ros·co·py [,la-pə-'räs-kə-pē] -n, adj

  1. visual examination of the abdomen by means of a laparoscope
  2. an operation (as tubal ligation or gall bladder removal) involving laparoscopy

lap·a·rot·o·my [,la-pə-'rä-tə-mē] -n

  1. surgical incision of the abdominal wall

lap belt -n

  1. a seat belt that fastens across the lap

lap·board ['lap-,bȯrd] -n

  1. a board used on the lap as a table or desk

lap dancing -n

  1. an activity in which a usu. seminude performer sits and gyrates on the lap of a customer

lap·dog [-,dȯg] -n

  1. a small dog that may be held in the lap
  2. a servile dependent or follower

la·pel [lə-'pel] -n, adj

  1. the part of a garment that is turned back
  2. the fold of the front of a coat that is usu. a continuation of the collar

lap·i·dar·i·an [,la-pə-'der-ē-ən] -adj

  1. lapidary

lap·i·dary ['la-pə-,der-ē] -n

  1. a cutter, polisher, or engraver of precious stones usu. other than diamonds
  2. the art of cutting gems

lapidary -adj

  1. having the elegance and precision associated with inscriptions on monumental stone
    • a stanza that has a lapidary dignity
  2. sculptured in or engraved on stone
  3. of, relating to, or suggestive of precious stones or the art of cutting them

la·pil·lus [lə-'pi-ləs] -n

  1. a small stony or glassy fragment of lava ejected in a volcanic eruption

lap·in ['la-pən] -n

  1. rabbit
  2. a castrated male rabbit
  3. rabbit fur usu. sheared and dyed

la·pis la·zu·li [,lap-əs-'la-zə-lē, -'la-zhə-] -n

  1. a semiprecious stone that is usu. rich azure blue and is essentially a complex silicate often with spangles of pyrites called also lapis

lap joint ['lap-,jȯin-təd] -n, adj

  1. a joint made by overlapping two ends or edges and fastening them together

La·place transform [lə-'pläs-, -'plas-] -n

  1. a transformation of a function f(x)into the function that is useful esp. in reducing the solution of an ordinary linear differential equation with constant coefficients to the solution of a polynomial equation

Lapp ['lap] -n, adj or n

  1. sami

lap·pet ['la-pət] -n

  1. a fold or flap on a garment or headdress
  2. a flat overlapping or hanging piece

lap robe -n

  1. a covering (as a blanket) for the legs, lap, and feet esp. of a passenger in a car or carriage

Lap·sang souchong ['läp-,säŋ-, 'lap-,saŋ-] -n

  1. a souchong tea having a pronounced smoky flavor and aroma

lapse ['laps] -n

  1. a slight error typically due to forgetfulness or inattention
    • a lapse in table manners
  2. a temporary deviation or fall esp. from a higher to a lower state
    • a lapse from grace
  3. a becoming less : decline
  4. the termination of a right or privilege through neglect to exercise it within some limit of time
  5. termination of coverage for nonpayment of premiums
  6. interruption, discontinuance
    • returned to college after a lapse of several years
  7. an abandonment of religious faith
  8. a passage of time
  9. interval
  10. to fall from an attained and usu. high level (as of morals or manners) to one much lower
  11. to depart from an accepted pattern or standard
  12. sink, slip
    • lapsed into unconsciousness
  13. to go out of existence : cease
    • after a few polite exchanges, the conversation lapsed
  14. to pass from one proprietor to another or from an original owner by omission or negligence
    • allowed the insurance policy to lapse
  15. to glide along : pass
    • time lapse s
  16. to let slip : forfeit
    • all of those who have lapsed their membership -- AAUP Bull.

lapsed -adj

  1. having ceased to be active in practice, membership, or belief
    • a lapsed Catholic

lapse rate -n

  1. the adiabatic rate of decrease of atmospheric temperature with increasing altitude

lap·strake ['lap-,strāk] -adj

  1. clinker-built

lap·top ['lap-,täp] -adj

  1. of a size and design that makes operation and use on one's lap convenient

laptop -n

  1. a portable microcomputer having its main components (as processor, keyboard, and display screen) integrated into a single unit capable of battery-powered operation

La·pu·tan [lə-'pyü-tᵊn] -n, adj

  1. an inhabitant of a flying island in Swift's Gulliver's Travelscharacterized by a neglect of useful occupations and a devotion to visionary projects

lap·wing ['lap-,wiŋ] -n

  1. a crested Old World plover ( Vanellus vanellus) noted for its slow irregular flapping flight and shrill wailing cry
  2. any of several related plovers

Lar ['lär] -n

  1. a tutelary god or spirit associated with Vesta and the Penates as a guardian of the household by the ancient Romans

lar·board ['lär-bərd] -n, adj

  1. port

lar·ce·ner ['lärs-nər, 'lär-sə-nər] -n

  1. larcenist

lar·ce·nist [-nist, -sə-nist] -n

  1. a person who commits larceny

lar·ce·nous [-nəs, -sə-nəs] -adj, adv

  1. having the character of or constituting larceny
  2. committing larceny

lar·ce·ny [-nē, -sə-nē] -n

  1. the unlawful taking of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it permanently

larch ['lärch] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Larix) of northern hemisphere trees of the pine family with short fascicled deciduous leaves
  2. the wood of a larch

lard ['lärd] -vt

  1. to dress (meat) for cooking by inserting or covering with something (as strips of fat)
  2. to cover or soil with grease
  3. to augment or intersperse esp. with something superfluous or excessive
    • the book is lard ed with subplots
  4. to make rich with or as if with fat
  5. a soft white solid or semisolid fat obtained by rendering fatty pork

lar·der ['lär-dər] -n

  1. a place where food is stored : pantry
  2. a supply of food

lar·doon [lär-'dün] -n

  1. a strip (as of salt pork) with which meat is larded

lares and penates [see lar, penates] -n pl

  1. household gods
  2. personal or household effects

large ['lärj] -adj, n

  1. lavish
  2. ample, abundant
  3. extensive, broad
  4. having more than usual capacity or scope : comprehensive
    • take the large view
    • will take a larger role in the negotiations
  5. powerful, forceful
  6. very successful or popular
    • a large rock band
  7. exceeding most other things of like kind esp. in quantity or size : big
  8. dealing in great numbers or quantities
    • a large and highly profitable business
  9. coarse, vulgar
  10. lax in conduct : loose
  11. favorable
  12. extravagant, boastful
    • large talk
  13. in abundance : amply, liberally
  14. with the wind abaft the beam
  15. in a large manner
  16. extravagantly
    • living large
  17. liberality, generosity
  18. a thousand dollars

large calorie -n

  1. calorie

large·heart·ed [,lärj-'här-təd] -adj, n

  1. having a generous disposition : sympathetic

large intestine -n

  1. the more terminal division of the vertebrate intestine that is wider and shorter than the small intestine, typically divided into cecum, colon, and rectum, and concerned esp. with the resorption of water and the formation of feces

large·ly ['lärj-lē] -adv

  1. in a large manner
  2. to a large extent : mostly, primarily
    • words largely unknown a decade ago

largemind·ed [,lärj-'mīn-dəd] -adj, adv, n

  1. generous or comprehensive in outlook, range, or capacity

large·mouth bass ['lärj-,mau̇th-] -n

  1. a large No. American black bass ( Micropterus salmoides) that is blackish green above and lighter below and has the maxillary bones of the upper jaw extending to behind the eyes called also largemouth largemouth black bass

largeprint [-'print] -adj

  1. being set in a large size of type (as 14 point or larger) esp. for use by the partially sighted
    • largeprint books

largerthanlife -adj

  1. of the sort legends are made of
    • largerthanlife heroes
  2. extraordinary

largescale integration -n

  1. the process of placing a large number of circuits on a small chip

lar·gesse [lär-'zhes, lär-'jes also 'lär-,jes] -n

  1. liberal giving (as of money) to or as if to an inferior
  2. something so given
  3. generosity

lar·ghet·to [lär-'ge-(,)tō] -n

  1. a movement played larghetto

larghetto -adv or adj

  1. slower than andante but not so slow as largo used as a direction in music

lar·go ['lär-(,)gō] -adv or adj

  1. at a very slow tempo used as a direction in music

largo -n

  1. a largo movement

lar·i·at ['ler-ē-ət] -n

  1. a long light rope (as of hemp or leather) used with a running noose to catch livestock or with or without the noose to tether grazing animals : lasso

lark ['lärk] -n

  1. any of a family (Alaudidae) of chiefly Old World ground-dwelling songbirds that are usu. brownish in color
  2. skylark
  3. a source of or quest for amusement or adventure
    • thought life was a lark
    • entered the race on a lark
  4. to engage in harmless fun or mischief often used with about

lark·spur ['lärk-,spər] -n

  1. delphinium
  2. any of the delphiniums that are annuals, have the upper two petals of the corolla united and the bottom two missing, are now often placed in a separate genus ( Consolida), and include several widely cultivated forms

larky ['lär-kē] -adj, n

  1. given to or ready for larking : sportive
  2. resulting from a lark

lar·ri·gan ['la-ri-gən] -n

  1. an oil-tanned moccasin with a leg often reaching the knee

lar·ri·kin ['la-ri-kən] -n, adj

  1. hoodlum, rowdy

lar·rup ['la-rəp] -n

  1. blow

larrup -vt

  1. to flog soundly : whip
  2. to defeat decisively : trounce
  3. to move indolently or clumsily

la·rum ['lär-əm, 'ler-] -n

  1. alarm

lar·va ['lär-və] -n, adj

  1. the immature, wingless, and often wormlike feeding form that hatches from the egg of many insects, alters chiefly in size while passing through several molts, and is finally transformed into a pupa or chrysalis from which the adult emerges
  2. the early form of an animal (as a frog or sea urchin) that at birth or hatching is fundamentally unlike its parent and must metamorphose before assuming the adult characters

lar·vi·cide ['lär-və-,sīd] -n, adj

  1. an agent for killing larval pests

laryng- -comb form

  1. larynx
    • laryng itis

la·ryn·geal [lə-'rin-jəl also -jē-əl; ,la-rən-'jē-əl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or used on the larynx
    • a laryngeal obstruction
  2. produced by or with constriction of the larynx
    • laryngeal articulation of sounds

laryngeal -n

  1. an anatomical part (as a nerve or artery) that supplies or is associated with the larynx
  2. a laryngeal sound
  3. any of a set of several conjectured phonemes reconstructed for Proto-Indo-European chiefly on indirect evidence

lar·yn·gec·to·mee [,la-rən-,jek-tə-'mē] -n

  1. a person who has undergone laryngectomy

lar·yn·gec·to·my [-'jek-tə-mē] -n, adj

  1. surgical removal of all or part of the larynx

lar·yn·gi·tis [,la-rən-'jī-təs] -n, adj

  1. inflammation of the larynx

lar·yn·gol·o·gy [,la-rən-'gä-lə-jē] -n

  1. a branch of medicine dealing with diseases of the larynx and nasopharynx

la·ryn·go·scope [lə-'riŋ-gə-,skōp, -'rin-jə-] -n

  1. an endoscope for examining the interior of the larynx

lar·ynx ['ler-iŋ(k)s, 'la-riŋ(k)s] -n

  1. the modified upper part of the trachea of air-breathing vertebrates that in humans, most other mammals, and some amphibians and reptiles contains the vocal cords

la·sa·gna [lə-'zän-yə] -n

  1. pasta in the form of broad often ruffled ribbons
  2. a baked dish containing layers of boiled lasagna, and usu. cheese, a seasoned sauce of tomatoes, and meat or vegetables

las·car ['las-kər] -n

  1. an Indian sailor, army servant, or artilleryman

las·civ·i·ous [lə-'si-vē-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. lewd, lustful

lase ['lāz] -vi

  1. to emit coherent light

la·ser ['lā-zər] -n

  1. a device that utilizes the natural oscillations of atoms or molecules between energy levels for generating a beam of coherent electromagnetic radiation usu. in the ultraviolet, visible, or infrared regions of the spectrum
  2. something resembling a laser beam in accuracy, speed, or intensity
    • threw a laser into the end zone
    • a laser stare

laser -vt

  1. to subject to the action of a laser
  2. treat with a laser

laser disc -n

  1. optical disk
  2. one containing a video recording (as of a motion picture)

laser printer -n

  1. a high-resolution printer for computer output that xerographically prints an image formed by a laser

lash ['lash] -vb, n

  1. to move violently or suddenly : dash
  2. to thrash or beat violently
    • rain lash ed at the windowpanes
  3. to make a verbal attack or retort usu. used with out
  4. to whip or fling about violently
    • the big cat lash ed its tail about threateningly
  5. to strike or beat with or as if with a whip
    • waves lash ed the shore
  6. to assail with stinging words
  7. drive, whip
    • lash ed them into a fury with his fiery speech
  8. a stroke with or as if with a whip
  9. the flexible part of a whip
  10. whip
  11. punishment by whipping
  12. a beating, whipping, or driving force
  13. a stinging rebuke
  14. eyelash
  15. the clearance or play between adjacent movable mechanical parts
  16. to bind with or as if with a line

lash·ing ['la-shiŋ] -n

  1. something used for binding, wrapping, or fastening

lash·ings ['la-shiŋz, -shənz] -n pl

  1. a great plenty : abundance
    • piles of bread and butter and lashings of tea -- Molly Weir

lashup ['lash-,əp] -n

  1. something hastily put together or improvised
  2. outfit

LA·SIK ['lā-sik] -n

  1. a surgical operation to reshape the cornea for correction of myopia, farsightedness, or astigmatism in which the surface layer of the cornea is separated to create a hinged flap providing access to the inner cornea where varying amounts of tissue are removed by an excimer laser

Las·par·a·gi·nase ['el-as-'pa-rə-jə-,nās, -,nāz] -n

  1. an enzyme that breaks down the physiologically commoner form of asparagine, is obtained esp. from bacteria, and is used esp. to treat leukemia

lass ['las] -n

  1. a young woman : girl
  2. sweetheart

Las·sa fever ['la-sə-] -n

  1. a disease esp. of Africa that is caused by an arenavirus (species Lassa virusof the genus Arenavirus) and is characterized by a high fever, headaches, mouth ulcers, muscle aches, small hemorrhages under the skin, heart and kidney failure, and a high mortality rate

lass·ie ['la-sē] -n

  1. lass

las·si·tude ['la-sə-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n

  1. a condition of weariness or debility : fatigue
  2. a condition of listlessness : languor

las·so ['la-(,)sō, la-'sü] -vt, n

  1. to capture with or as if with a lasso : rope

lasso -n

  1. a rope or long thong of leather with a noose used esp. for catching horses and cattle : lariat

last ['last] -vb, n

  1. to continue in time
  2. to remain fresh or unimpaired : endure
  3. to manage to continue (as in a course of action)
  4. to continue to live
  5. to continue in existence or action as long as or longer than often used with out
    • couldn't last out the training program
  6. to be enough for the needs of
    • the supplies will last them a week
  7. a form (as of metal or plastic) which is shaped like the human foot and over which a shoe is shaped or repaired
  8. to shape with a last
  9. after all others : at the end
    • came last and left first
  10. most lately
    • saw him last in Rome
  11. in conclusion
    • last, let's consider the social aspect
  12. following all the rest
    • he was the last one out
  13. being the only remaining
    • our last dollar
  14. belonging to the final stage (as of life)
    • his last hours on earth
  15. next before the present : most recent
    • last week
    • his last book was a failure
  16. most up-to-date : latest
    • it's the last thing in fashion
  17. lowest in rank or standing
  18. worst
  19. farthest from a specified quality, attitude, or likelihood
    • would be the last person to fall for flattery
  20. conclusive
    • there is no last answer to the problem
  21. highest in degree : supreme, ultimate
  22. distinct, separate used as an intensive
    • ate every last piece of food
  23. something that is last

lastditch ['las(t)-,dich, -'dich] -adj

  1. fought or conducted from the last ditch : waged with desperation or unyielding defiance
    • put up a lastditch resistance
  2. made as a final effort esp. to avert disaster
    • a lastditch attempt to raise the money

last ditch -n

  1. a place of final defense or resort

lastgasp ['las(t)-'gasp] -adj, n

  1. done or coming at the very end
    • a lastgasp attempt to score

last hurrah -n

  1. a final often valedictory effort, production, or appearance
    • his unsuccessful Senate run was his last hurrah -- R. W. Daly

lastin firstout -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a method of inventory accounting that values stock on hand according to costs at the time of acquisition and not according to the cost of replacement

last·ing ['las-tiŋ] -adj, adv, n

  1. existing or continuing a long while : enduring

lasting -n

  1. long life
  2. a sturdy cotton or worsted cloth used esp. in shoes and luggage

Last Judgment -n

  1. the judgment of humankind before God at the end of the world

last laugh -n

  1. the satisfaction of ultimate triumph or success esp. after being scorned or regarded as a failure
    • he got the last laugh on his early critics

last minute -n, adj

  1. the moment just before some climactic, decisive, or disastrous event

last name -n

  1. surname

last rites -n

  1. extreme unction

last straw -n

  1. the last of a series (as of events or indignities) that brings one beyond the point of endurance

Last Supper -n

  1. the supper eaten by Jesus and his disciples on the night of his betrayal

last word -n

  1. the final remark in a verbal exchange
  2. the power of final decision
  3. a definitive statement or treatment
    • this study will surely be the last word on the subject for many years
  4. the most advanced, up-to-date, or fashionable exemplar of its kind
    • the last word in sports cars

lat ['lat] -n

  1. latissimus dorsi usu. used in pl.
  2. latitude

LAT -abbr

  1. local apparent time

lat·a·kia [,la-tə-'kē-ə] -n

  1. a highly aromatic Turkish smoking tobacco

latch ['lach] -vi

  1. to lay hold with or as if with the hands or arms used with on or onto
  2. to associate oneself intimately and often artfully used with on or onto
    • latch ed onto a rich widow
  3. : any of various devices in which mating mechanical parts engage to fasten but usu. not to lock something:
  4. a fastener (as for a door) consisting essentially of a pivoted bar that falls into a notch
  5. a fastener (as for a door) in which a spring slides a bolt into a hole
  6. night latch
  7. to make fast with or as if with a latch

latch·et ['la-chət] -n

  1. a narrow leather strap, thong, or lace that fastens a shoe or sandal on the foot

latch·key ['lach-,kē] -n

  1. a key to an outside and esp. a front door

latchkey child -n

  1. a school-aged child of working parents who must spend part of the day unsupervised (as at home) called also latchkey kid

latch·string [-,striŋ] -n

  1. a string on a latch that may be left hanging outside the door to permit the raising of the latch from the outside or drawn inside to prevent intrusion

late ['lāt] -adj, n

  1. coming or remaining after the due, usual, or proper time
    • a late spring
  2. of, relating to, or imposed because of tardiness
  3. of or relating to an advanced stage in point of time or development
    • the late Middle Ages
  4. far advanced toward the close of the day or night
    • late hours
  5. living comparatively recently : now deceased used of persons
    • the late John Doe
    and often with reference to a specific relationship or status
    • his late wife
  6. being something or holding some position or relationship recently but not now
    • the late belligerents
  7. made, appearing, or happening just previous to the present time esp. as the most recent of a succession
    • our late quarrel
  8. after the usual or proper time
    • got to work late
  9. at or to an advanced point of time
  10. not long ago : recently
    • a writer late of Chicago

late blight -n

  1. a disease of solanaceous plants (as the potato and tomato) that is caused by a fungus ( Phytophthora infestans) and is characterized by decay of stems, leaves, and in the potato also of tubers

late·com·er ['lāt-,kə-mər] -n

  1. one that arrives late
  2. a recent arrival

lat·ed ['lā-təd] -adj

  1. belated

la·teen [lə-'tēn] -adj

  1. being or relating to a rig used esp. on the north coast of Africa and characterized by a triangular sail extended by a long spar slung to a low mast

lateen [-'tē-nər] -n

  1. a lateen-rigged ship
  2. a lateen sail

Late Greek -n

  1. the Greek language as used in the third to sixth centuries

Late Hebrew -n

  1. the Hebrew language used by writers from about the second century b.c.to the early Middle Ages

Late Latin -n

  1. the Latin language used by writers in the third to sixth centuries

late·ly ['lāt-lē] -adv

  1. of late : recently
    • has been friendlier lately

lat·en ['lā-tᵊn] -vb

  1. to grow late
  2. to cause to grow late

la·ten·cy ['lā-tᵊn(t)-sē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being latent : dormancy
  2. something latent
  3. a stage of psychosexual development following the phallic stage that extends from about the age of five or six to the beginning of puberty and during which sexual urges often appear to lie dormant
  4. latent period

latency period -n

  1. latency
  2. latent period

La Tene [lä-'ten, -'tān] -adj

  1. of or relating to the later period of the Iron Age in Europe assumed to date from 500 b.c.to a.d.1

la·ten·si·fi·ca·tion [lā-,ten(t)-sə-fə-'kā-shən, lə-] -n

  1. intensification of a latent photographic image by chemical treatment or exposure to light of low intensity

la·tent ['lā-tᵊnt] -adj, adv

  1. present and capable of becoming though not now visible, obvious, active, or symptomatic
    • a latent infection

latent -n

  1. a fingerprint (as at the scene of a crime) that is scarcely visible but can be developed for study called also latent fingerprint latent print

latent heat -n

  1. heat given off or absorbed in a process (as fusion or vaporization) other than a change of temperature

latent period -n

  1. the incubation period of a disease
  2. the interval between stimulation and response

latent root -n

  1. an eigenvalue of a matrix

later -adv

  1. at some time subsequent to a given time : subsequently, afterward
    • one week later
    • they later regretted the decision
    often used with on
    • experience that will be useful later on

lat·er·ad ['la-tə-,rad] -adv

  1. toward the side

lat·er·al ['la-tə-rəl also 'la-trəl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to the side
  2. situated on, directed toward, or coming from the side
  3. extending from side to side
    • the lateral axis of an airplane
  4. produced with passage of breath around the side of a constriction formed with the tongue
    • l is lateral

lateral -n

  1. a branch from the main part (as in an irrigation or electrical system)
  2. a pass in football thrown parallel to the line of scrimmage or in a direction away from the opponent's goal
  3. a lateral speech sound
  4. to throw a lateral

lateral bud -n

  1. a bud that develops in the axil between a petiole and a stem

lat·er·al·i·za·tion [,la-tə-rə-lə-'zā-shən, ,la-trə-] -n, vt

  1. localization of function or activity on one side of the body in preference to the other

lateral line -n

  1. a canal along the side of a fish containing pores that open into tubes supplied with sense organs sensitive to low vibrations
  2. one of these tubes or sense organs

lat·er·ite ['la-tə-,rīt] -n, adj

  1. a residual product of rock decay that is red in color and has a high content in the oxides of iron and hydroxide of aluminum

lat·er·i·za·tion [,la-tə-rə-'zā-shən] -n

  1. the process of conversion of rock to laterite

latest -adj

  1. last
  2. most recent
  3. the latest acceptable time usu. used in the phrase at the latest
  4. something that is the most recent or currently fashionable
    • the latest in diving techniques

late·wood ['lāt-,wu̇d] -n

  1. summerwood

la·tex ['lā-,teks] -n

  1. a milky usu. white fluid that is produced by cells of various seed plants (as of the milkweed, spurge, and poppy families) and is the source of rubber, gutta-percha, chicle, and balata
  2. a water emulsion of a synthetic rubber or plastic obtained by polymerization and used esp. in coatings (as paint) and adhesives

lath ['lath also 'lath] -n, vt

  1. a thin narrow strip of wood nailed to rafters, joists, or studding as a groundwork for slates, tiles, or plaster
  2. a building material in sheets used as a base for plaster
  3. a quantity of laths

lathe ['lāth] -n

  1. a machine in which work is rotated about a horizontal axis and shaped by a fixed tool
  2. to cut or shape with a lathe

lath·er ['la-thər] -n, adj

  1. a foam or froth formed when a detergent (as soap) is agitated in water
  2. foam or froth from profuse sweating (as on a horse)
  3. an agitated or overwrought state : dither
    • worked himself into a lather

lather [-th(ə-)riŋ] -vb, n

  1. to spread lather over
  2. to beat severely : flog
  3. to form a lather or a froth like lather

lath·y·rism ['la-thə-,ri-zəm] -n, adj

  1. a diseased condition of humans, domestic animals, and esp. horses that results from poisoning by an amino acid found in some legumes (genus Lathyrusand esp. L. sativus) and is characterized esp. by spastic paralysis of the hind or lower limbs

latices ['lā-,teks] -n

(variant of latex)

  1. a milky usu. white fluid that is produced by cells of various seed plants (as of the milkweed, spurge, and poppy families) and is the source of rubber, gutta-percha, chicle, and balata
  2. a water emulsion of a synthetic rubber or plastic obtained by polymerization and used esp. in coatings (as paint) and adhesives

la·tic·i·fer [lā-'ti-sə-fər] -n

  1. a plant cell or vessel that contains latex

la·ti·fun·dio [,lä-tə-'fün-dē-,ō] -n

  1. a latifundium in Spain or Latin America

lat·i·fun·di·um [,la-tə-'fən-dē-əm] -n

  1. a great landed estate with primitive agriculture and labor often in a state of partial servitude

lat·i·go ['la-ti-,gō] -n

  1. a long strap on a saddletree of a western saddle to adjust the cinch

Lat·in ['la-tᵊn] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or composed in Latin
  2. romance
  3. of or relating to Latium or the Latins
  4. of or relating to the part of the Catholic Church that until recently used a Latin rite and forms the patriarchate of the pope
  5. of or relating to the peoples or countries using Romance languages
  6. of or relating to the peoples or countries of Latin America

Latin -n

  1. the Italic language of ancient Latium and of Rome and until modern times the dominant language of school, church, and state in western Europe
  2. a member of the people of ancient Latium
  3. a Catholic of the Latin rite
  4. a member of one of the Latin peoples
  5. a native or inhabitant of Latin America
  6. latin alphabet

La·ti·na [lə-'tē-nə] -n, adj

  1. a woman or girl who is a native or inhabitant of Latin America
  2. a woman or girl of Latin-American origin living in the U.S.

Latin alphabet -n

  1. an alphabet that was used for writing Latin and that has been modified for writing many modern languages

Latin Americanist -n

  1. a specialist in Latin American civilization

Lat·in·ate ['la-tə-,nāt] -adj

  1. of, relating to, resembling, or derived from Latin

Latin cross -n

  1. a figure of a cross having a long upright shaft and a shorter crossbar traversing it above the middle

Lat·in·ism ['la-tə-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. a characteristic feature of Latin occurring in another language
  2. a word or phrase derived from Latin
  3. Latin quality or character

Lat·in·ist ['la-tə-nist, 'lat-nist] -n

  1. a specialist in the Latin language or Roman culture

la·tin·i·ty [la-'ti-nə-tē, lə-] -n

  1. a manner of speaking or writing Latin
  2. latinism

lat·in·ize ['la-tə-,nīz] -vb, n

  1. to translate into Latin
  2. to give a Latin form to
  3. to introduce Latinisms into
  4. romanize
  5. to make Latin or Italian in doctrine, ideas, or traits
  6. to cause to resemble the Roman Catholic Church
  7. to use Latinisms
  8. to exhibit the influence of the Romans or of the Roman Catholic Church

La·ti·no [lə-'tē-(,)nō] -n, adj

  1. a native or inhabitant of Latin America
  2. a person of Latin-American origin living in the U.S.

Latin square -n

  1. a square array which contains ndifferent elements with each element occurring ntimes but with no element occurring twice in the same column or row and which is used esp. in the statistical design of experiments (as in agriculture)

lat·ish ['lā-tish] -adj

  1. somewhat late

la·tis·si·mus dor·si [lə-'ti-sə-məs-'dȯr-sī] -n

  1. a broad flat superficial muscle chiefly of the middle and lower back that extends, adducts, and rotates the arm medially and draws the shoulder downward and backward

lat·i·tude ['la-tə-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n, adj, adv

  1. extent or distance from side to side : width
  2. : angular distance from some specified circle or plane of reference: as
  3. angular distance north or south from the earth's equator measured through 90 degrees
  4. angular distance of a celestial body from the ecliptic
  5. a region or locality as marked by its latitude
  6. scope, range
  7. the range of exposures within which a film or plate will produce a negative or positive of satisfactory quality
  8. freedom of action or choice
    • students are allowed considerable latitude in choosing courses

lat·i·tu·di·nar·i·an [,la-tə-,tü-də-'ner-ē-ən, -,tyü-] -adj, n

  1. not insisting on strict conformity to a particular doctrine or standard : tolerant
  2. tolerant of variations in religious opinion or doctrine

lat·ke ['lät-kə] -n

  1. potato pancake

lat·o·sol ['la-tə-,sȯl] -n, adj

  1. a leached red and yellow tropical soil

la·trine [lə-'trēn] -n

  1. a receptacle (as a pit in the earth) for use as a toilet
  2. toilet

lat·te ['lä-(,)tā] -n

  1. caffe latte

lat·ten ['la-tᵊn] -n

  1. a yellow alloy identical to or resembling brass typically hammered into thin sheets and formerly much used for church utensils

lat·ter ['la-tər] -adj

  1. belonging to a subsequent time or period : more recent
    • the latter stages of growth
  2. of or relating to the end
    • in their latter days
  3. recent, present
    • affected by latter calamities
  4. of, relating to, or being the second of two groups or things or the last of several groups or things referred to
    • of ham and beef the latter meat is cheaper today
    • of ham and beef the latter is cheaper today

lat·terday ['la-tər-,dā] -adj

  1. of present or recent times
    • latterday prophets
  2. of a later or subsequent time

Latterday Saint -n

  1. a member of any of several religious bodies tracing their origin to Joseph Smith in 1830 and accepting the Book of Mormon as divine revelation : mormon

lat·ter·ly ['la-tər-lē] -adv

  1. later
  2. of late : recently

lat·tice ['la-təs] -n, vt, adj

  1. a framework or structure of crossed wood or metal strips
  2. a window, door, or gate having a lattice
  3. a network or design resembling a lattice
  4. a regular geometrical arrangement of points or objects over an area or in space
  5. the arrangement of atoms in a crystal
  6. a mathematical set that has some elements ordered and that is such that for any two elements there exists a greatest element in the subset of all elements less than or equal to both and a least element in the subset of all elements greater than or equal to both

lattice girder -n

  1. a girder with top and bottom flanges connected by a latticework web

lat·tice·work ['la-təs-,wərk] -n

  1. a lattice or work made of lattices

la·tus rec·tum ['la-təs-'rek-təm] -n

  1. a chord of a conic section (as an ellipse) that passes through a focus and is parallel to the directrix

Lat·vi·an ['lat-vē-ən] -n, adj

  1. the Baltic language of the Latvian people
  2. a native or inhabitant of Latvia

lau·an ['lü-,än, lü-'; lau̇-'än] -n

  1. the light yellow to reddish-brown or brown wood of any of various tropical southeast Asian trees (as of the genera Shoreaand Parashorea) which sometimes enters commerce as Philippine mahogany

laud ['lȯd] -n

  1. an office of solemn praise to God forming with matins the first of the canonical hours
  2. praise, acclaim
  3. praise, extol

laud·able ['lȯ-də-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. worthy of praise : commendable

lau·da·num ['lȯd-nəm, 'lȯ-də-nəm] -n

  1. any of various formerly used preparations of opium
  2. a tincture of opium

lau·da·tion [lȯ-'dā-shən] -n

  1. the act of praising : eulogy

lau·da·tive ['lȯ-də-tiv] -adj

  1. laudatory

lau·da·to·ry ['lȯ-də-,tȯr-ē] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or expressing praise
    • laudatory reviews

laugh ['laf, 'läf] -vb, adv

  1. to show emotion (as mirth, joy, or scorn) with a chuckle or explosive vocal sound
  2. to find amusement or pleasure in something
    • laugh ed at his own clumsiness
  3. to become amused or derisive
    • a very skeptical public laugh ed at our early efforts -- Graenum Berger
  4. to produce the sound or appearance of laughter
    • a laugh ing brook
  5. to be of a kind that inspires joy
  6. to influence or move by laughter
    • laugh ed the bad singer off the stage
  7. to utter with a laugh
  8. the act of laughing
  9. a cause for derision or merriment : joke
  10. an expression of scorn or mockery : jeer
  11. diversion, sport
    • play baseball just for laugh s

laugh·able ['la-fə-bəl, 'lä-] -adj, n, adv

  1. of a kind to provoke laughter or sometimes derision : amusingly ridiculous

laugh·er ['la-fər, 'lä-] -n

  1. one that laughs
  2. something (as a game) that is easily won or handled

laughing gas -n

  1. nitrous oxide

laughing gull -n

  1. an American gull ( Larus atricilla) having a black head in breeding plumage and black wing tips blending into the gray upper side of the wings

laughing jackass -n

  1. kookaburra

laughing matter -n

  1. something not to be taken seriously usu. used in the phrase no laughing matter

laugh·ing·stock ['la-fiŋ-,stäk, 'lä-] -n

  1. an object of ridicule

laugh off -vt

  1. to minimize by treating as amusingly or absurdly trivial

laugh·ter ['laf-tər, 'läf-] -n

  1. a sound of or as if of laughing
  2. a cause of merriment

laugh track -n

  1. recorded laughter that accompanies dialogue or action (as of a television program)

launce ['lȯn(t)s, 'län(t)s] -n

  1. sand lance

launch ['lȯnch, 'länch] -vb

  1. to throw forward : hurl
  2. to release, catapult, or send off (a self-propelled object)
    • launch a rocket
  3. to set (a boat or ship) afloat
  4. to give (a person) a start
    • launch ed her on a new career
  5. to put into operation or set in motion : initiate, introduce
  6. to get off to a good start
  7. to load into a computer's memory and run
    • launch a program
  8. to spring forward : take off
  9. to enter energetically
    • launch ed into an impromptu speech -- Tim Tucker
  10. to slide down the ways
  11. to make a start
  12. an act or instance of launching
  13. a large boat that operates from a ship
  14. a small motorboat that is open or that has the forepart of the hull covered

launch·er ['lȯn-chər, 'län-] -n

  1. : one that launches: as
  2. a device for firing grenades
  3. a device for launching a missile
  4. launch vehicle

launching pad -n

  1. launchpad
  2. springboard

launch·pad ['lȯnch-,pad, 'länch-] -n

  1. a nonflammable platform from which a rocket, launch vehicle, or guided missile can be launched

launch vehicle -n

  1. a rocket used to launch a satellite or spacecraft

launch window -n

  1. window

laun·der ['lȯn-dər, 'län-] -vb, n

  1. to wash (as clothes) in water
  2. to make ready for use by washing and ironing
    • a freshly launder ed shirt
  3. to transfer (as illegally obtained money or investments) through an outside party to conceal the true source
  4. sanitize
    • launder ed language
  5. to wash or wash and iron clothing or household linens

launder -n

  1. trough
  2. a box conduit conveying particulate material suspended in water in ore dressing

laun·der·ette [,lȯn-də-'ret, ,län-] -n

  1. a self-service laundry

laun·dress ['lȯn-drəs, 'län-] -n

  1. a woman who is a laundry worker

Laun·dro·mat ['lȯn-drə-,mat, 'län-] -service mark

  1. used for a self-service laundry

laun·dry ['lȯn-drē, 'län-] -n

  1. a room for doing the family wash
  2. a commercial laundering establishment
  3. clothes or linens that have been or are to be laundered

laundry list -n

  1. a usu. long list of items
    • the laundry list of new consumer-protection bills -- N. C. Miller

laun·dry·man [-mən] -n

  1. a man who is a laundry worker

Laun·fal ['lȯn-fəl, 'län-] -n

  1. a knight of the Round Table in late Arthurian legend

lau·ra ['läv-rə] -n

  1. a monastery of an Eastern church

lau·re·ate ['lȯr-ē-ət, 'lär-] -n, adj

  1. the recipient of honor or recognition for achievement in an art or science
  2. poet laureate
  3. to crown with or as if with a laurel wreath for excellence or achievement
  4. to appoint to the office of poet laureate

lau·rel ['lȯr-əl, 'lär-] -n

  1. an evergreen shrub or tree ( Laurus nobilisof the family Lauraceae, the laurel family) of southern Europe with small yellow flowers, fruits that are ovoid blackish berries, and evergreen foliage once used by the ancient Greeks to crown victors in the Pythian games called also bay sweet bay
  2. a tree or shrub that resembles the true laurel
  3. mountain laurel
  4. a crown of laurel awarded as an honor
  5. a recognition of achievement : honor usu. used in pl.

laurel -vt

  1. to deck or crown with laurel

lau·ric acid ['lȯr-ik-, 'lär-] -n

  1. a crystalline fatty acid C 12H 24O 2found esp. in coconut oil and used chiefly in making soaps and esters

lau·ryl alcohol ['lȯr-əl-, 'lär-] -n

  1. a solid alcohol C 12H 26O

lav -n

  1. lavatory

la·va ['lä-və, 'la-] -n, adj

  1. molten rock that issues from a volcano or from a fissure in the surface of a planet (as earth) or moon
  2. such rock that has cooled and hardened

la·va·bo [lə-'vä-(,)bō] -n

  1. a ceremony at Mass in which the celebrant washes his hands after offering the oblations and says Psalm 25:612 (DV)
  2. a washbasin and a tank with a spigot that are fastened to a wall
  3. this combination used as a planter

la·vage [lə-'väzh, Brit usu 'la-vij] -n

  1. washing
  2. the therapeutic washing out of an organ or part

la·va·la·va [,lä-və-'lä-və] -n

  1. a rectangular cloth of cotton print worn like a kilt or skirt in Polynesia and esp. in Samoa

la·va·liere [,lä-və-'lir, ,la-] -n

  1. a pendant on a fine chain that is worn as a necklace

la·va·lier microphone [,lä-və-'lir-, ,la-] -n

  1. a small microphone hung around the neck of the user

la·va·tion [lā-'vā-shən] -n

  1. the act or an instance of washing or cleansing

lav·a·to·ry ['la-və-,tȯr-ē, Brit -və-t(ə-)rē] -n, adj

  1. a vessel (as a basin) for washing
  2. a fixed bowl or basin with running water and drainpipe for washing
  3. a room with conveniences for washing and usu. with one or more toilets
  4. toilet

lave ['lāv] -n

  1. something that is left : residue
  2. wash, bathe
  3. to flow along or against
  4. pour
  5. to wash oneself : bathe

lav·en·der ['la-vən-dər] -n

  1. a Mediterranean mint ( Lavandula angustifoliasyn. L. officinalis) widely cultivated for its narrow aromatic leaves and spikes of lilac-purple flowers which are dried and used in sachets and from which is extracted an aromatic oil used chiefly in perfumery
  2. any of several plants congeneric with true lavender and used similarly but often considered inferior
  3. a pale purple

lavender [-d(ə-)riŋ] -vt

  1. to sprinkle or perfume with lavender

la·ver ['lā-vər] -n

  1. a large basin used for ceremonial ablutions in the ancient Jewish Tabernacle and Temple worship
  2. any of several common red algae (genus Porphyra) with fronds used esp. for stewing or pickling

La·vin·ia [lə-'vi-nē-ə] -n

  1. a daughter of King Latinus in Virgil's Aeneidwho is betrothed to Turnus but marries Aeneas

lav·ish ['la-vish] -adj, adv, n

  1. expending or bestowing profusely : prodigal
  2. expended or produced in abundance
  3. marked by profusion or excess

lavish -vt

  1. to expend or bestow with profusion : squander

lav·rock ['lāv-rək, 'lav-] -n

  1. lark

law ['lȯ] -n

  1. a binding custom or practice of a community : a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority
  2. the whole body of such customs, practices, or rules
  3. common law
  4. the control brought about by the existence or enforcement of such law
  5. the action of laws considered as a means of redressing wrongs
  6. litigation
  7. the agency of or an agent of established law
  8. a rule or order that it is advisable or obligatory to observe
  9. something compatible with or enforceable by established law
  10. control, authority
  11. the revelation of the will of God set forth in the Old Testament
  12. the first part of the Jewish scriptures : pentateuch, torah
  13. a rule of construction or procedure
    • the law s of poetry
  14. the whole body of laws relating to one subject
  15. the legal profession
  16. law as a department of knowledge : jurisprudence
  17. legal knowledge
  18. a statement of an order or relation of phenomena that so far as is known is invariable under the given conditions
  19. a general relation proved or assumed to hold between mathematical or logical expressions
  20. litigate
  21. to sue or prosecute at law

lawabid·ing ['lȯ-ə-,bī-diŋ] -adj, n

  1. abiding by or obedient to the law
    • lawabiding citizens

lawandorder -adj

  1. relating to, characterized by, or advocating strict laws and their enforcement
    • a lawandorder candidate

law·break·er ['lȯ-,brā-kər] -n, adj or n

  1. a person who violates the law

law·ful ['lȯ-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. being in harmony with the law
    • a lawful judgment
  2. constituted, authorized, or established by law : rightful
    • lawful institutions
  3. law-abiding
    • lawful citizens

law·giv·er ['lȯ-,gi-vər] -n

  1. one who gives a code of laws to a people
  2. legislator

law·less ['lȯ-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. not regulated by or based on law
  2. not restrained or controlled by law : unruly
  3. illegal

law·mak·er ['lȯ-,mā-kər] -n

  1. one who makes laws : legislator

law·man ['lȯ-mən] -n

  1. a law-enforcement officer (as a sheriff or marshal)

law merchant -n

  1. the legal rules formerly applied to cases arising in commercial transactions

lawn ['lȯn, 'län] -n, adj

  1. an open space between woods : glade
  2. ground (as around a house or in a garden or park) that is covered with grass and is kept mowed
  3. a relatively even layer of bacteria covering the surface of a culture medium
  4. a fine sheer linen or cotton fabric of plain weave that is thinner than cambric

lawn bowling -n

  1. a bowling game played on a green with wooden balls which are rolled at a jack

lawn mower -n

  1. a machine for cutting grass on lawns

lawn tennis -n

  1. tennis

law of averages

  1. the commonsense observation that probability influences everyday life so that over the long term the possible outcomes of a repeated event occur with specific frequencies

law of definite proportions

  1. a statement in chemistry: every definite compound always contains the same elements in the same proportions by weight

law of dominance

  1. mendel's law

law of independent assortment

  1. mendel's law

law of large numbers

  1. a theorem in mathematical statistics: the probability that the absolute value of the difference between the mean of a population sample and the mean of the population from which it is drawn is greater than an arbitrarily small amount approaches zero as the size of the sample approaches infinity

Law of Moses

  1. pentateuch, torah

law of nations

  1. international law

law of parsimony

  1. occam's razor

law of segregation

  1. mendel's law

law of war

  1. the code that governs or one of the rules that govern the rights and duties of belligerents in international war

law·ren·ci·um [lȯ-'ren(t)-sē-əm] -n

  1. a short-lived radioactive element produced artificially

law·suit ['lȯ-,süt] -n

  1. a suit in law : a case before a court

law·yer ['lȯ-yər, 'lȯi-ər] -n, adj

  1. one whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients or to advise as to legal rights and obligations in other matters

law·yer·ing ['lȯ-yə-riŋ, 'lȯi-ə-] -n

  1. the profession or work of a lawyer

lax ['laks] -adj, n, adv

  1. loose, open
  2. having loose bowels
  3. deficient in firmness : not stringent
    • lax control
    • a lax foreman
  4. not tense, firm, or rigid : slack
    • a lax rope
  5. having an open or loose texture
  6. having the constituents spread apart
    • a lax flower cluster
  7. articulated with the muscles involved in a relatively relaxed state (as the vowel i in contrast with the vowel e)
  8. lacrosse

lax·a·tive ['lak-sə-tiv] -adj

  1. having a tendency to loosen or relax
  2. producing bowel movements and relieving constipation

laxative -n

  1. a usu. mild laxative drug

lax·ity ['lak-sə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being lax

lay ['lā] -vb

  1. to beat or strike down with force
  2. to put or set down
    • lay your books on the table
  3. to place for rest or sleep
  4. bury
  5. to bring forth and deposit (an egg)
  6. calm, allay
    • lay the dust
  7. bet, wager
  8. to press down giving a smooth and even surface
  9. to dispose or spread over or on a surface
    • lay track
    • lay plaster
  10. to set in order or position
    • lay a table for dinner
    • lay brick
  11. to put (strands) in place and twist to form a rope, hawser, or cable
  12. to make by so doing
    • lay up rope
  13. to impose as a duty, burden, or punishment
    • lay a tax
  14. to put as a burden of reproach
    • laid the blame on her
  15. to advance as an accusation : impute
    • the disaster was laid to faulty inspection
  16. to place (something immaterial) on something
    • lay stress on grammar
  17. prepare, contrive
    • a well- laid plan
  18. to bring against or into contact with something : apply
    • laid the watch to his ear
  19. to prepare or position for action or operation
    • lay a fire in the fireplace
  20. to adjust (a gun) to the proper direction and elevation
  21. to bring to a specified condition
    • lay waste the land
  22. assert, allege
    • lay claim to an estate
  23. to submit for examination and judgment
    • laid her case before the commission
  24. to copulate with
  25. to produce and deposit eggs
  26. lie
  27. wager, bet
  28. plan, prepare
  29. to apply oneself vigorously
    • laid to his oars
  30. to proceed to a specified place or position on a ship
    • lay aloft
  31. covert, lair
  32. something (as a layer) that lies or is laid
  33. line of action : plan
  34. line of work : occupation
  35. terms of sale or employment : price
  36. share of profit (as on a whaling voyage) paid in lieu of wages
  37. the amount of advance of any point in a rope strand for one turn
  38. the nature of a fiber rope as determined by the amount of twist, the angle of the strands, and the angle of the threads in the strands
  39. the way in which a thing lies or is laid in relation to something else
    • the lay of the land
  40. the state of one that lays eggs
    • hens coming into lay
  41. a partner in sexual intercourse
  42. sexual intercourse

lay ['lī] -vi, n

(variant of lie)

  1. to be or to stay at rest in a horizontal position : be prostrate : rest, recline
    • lie motionless
    • lie asleep
  2. to assume a horizontal position often used with down
  3. to reside temporarily : stay for the night : lodge
  4. to have sexual intercourse used with with
  5. to remain inactive (as in concealment)
    • lie in wait
  6. to be in a helpless or defenseless state
    • the town lay at the mercy of the invaders
  7. to be or remain in a flat or horizontal position upon a broad support
    • books lying on the table
  8. to have direction : extend
    • the route lay to the west
  9. to occupy a certain relative place or position
    • hills lie behind us
  10. to have a place in relation to something else
    • the real reason lie s deeper
  11. to have an effect through mere presence, weight, or relative position
    • remorse lay heavily on him
  12. to be sustainable or admissible
  13. to remain at anchor or becalmed
  14. to have place : exist
    • the choice lay between fighting or surrendering
  15. consist, belong
    • the success of the book lie s in its direct style
    • responsibility lay with the adults
  16. remain
  17. to remain unused, unsought, or uncared for
  18. lay
  19. the position or situation in which something lies
    • a golf ball in a difficult lie
  20. the haunt of an animal (as a fish) : covert
  21. an act or instance of lying or resting
  22. to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive
  23. to create a false or misleading impression
  24. to bring about by telling lies
    • lied his way out of trouble
  25. an assertion of something known or believed by the speaker to be untrue with intent to deceive
  26. an untrue or inaccurate statement that may or may not be believed true by the speaker
  27. something that misleads or deceives
  28. a charge of lying

lay·about ['lā-ə-,bau̇t] -n

  1. a lazy shiftless person : idler

lay·away ['lā-ə-,wā] -n

  1. a purchasing agreement by which a retailer agrees to hold merchandise secured by a deposit until the price is paid in full by the customer

lay away -vt

  1. to put aside for future use or delivery

layby ['lā-,bī] -n

  1. turnout
  2. the final operation (as a last cultivating) in the growing of a field crop

lay by -vt

  1. to lay aside : discard
  2. to store for future use : save
  3. to cultivate (as corn) for the last time

lay day -n

  1. one of the days allowed by the charter for loading or unloading a vessel
  2. a day of delay in port

lay down -vt

  1. to give up : surrender
    • lay down your arms
  2. establish, prescribe
    • lay down a scale for a map
  3. to assert or command dogmatically
    • lay down the law
  4. store, preserve
    • laid down a young wine
  5. record
    • laying down songs for their new album
  6. to direct toward a target
    • lay down a barrage
  7. to hit along the ground
    • laid down a sacrifice bunt
  8. to lie down

lay·er ['lā-ər, 'ler] -n, adj

  1. one that lays (as a worker who lays brick or a hen that lays eggs)
  2. one thickness, course, or fold laid or lying over or under another
  3. stratum
  4. horizon
  5. a branch or shoot of a plant that roots while still attached to the parent plant
  6. a plant developed by layering

layer -vt

  1. to propagate (a plant) by means of layers
  2. to place as a layer
  3. to place a layer on top of
    • pancakes layer ed with butter and syrup
  4. to form or arrange in layers
  5. to separate into layers
  6. to form out of superimposed layers
  7. to form roots where a stem comes in contact with the ground

lay·er·age ['lā-ə-rij, 'ler-ij] -n

  1. the practice, art, or process of rooting plants by layering

lay·ette [lā-'et] -n

  1. a complete outfit of clothing and equipment for a newborn infant

lay figure -n

  1. a jointed model of the human body used by artists to show the disposition of drapery
  2. a person so compliant as to be likened to a puppet

lay·in ['lā-,in] -n

  1. layup

lay in -vt

  1. lay by, save
    • lays in food for the winter

laying on of hands

  1. the act of laying hands usu. on a person's head to confer a spiritual blessing (as in Christian ordination, confirmation, or faith healing)

lay·man ['lā-mən] -n

  1. a person who is not a member of the clergy
  2. a person who does not belong to a particular profession or who is not expert in some field

lay·off ['lā-,ȯf] -n

  1. a period of inactivity or idleness
  2. the act of laying off an employee or a workforce
  3. shutdown

lay off -vt

  1. to mark or measure off
  2. to cease to employ (a worker) often temporarily
  3. to place all or part of (an accepted bet) with another bookie to reduce the risk
  4. to leave undisturbed
  5. avoid, quit
    • was advised to lay off smoking and alcohol
  6. to refrain from swinging at (a pitch)
  7. to stop doing or taking something
  8. to leave one alone
    • wish you'd just lay off

lay on -vt

  1. to apply by or as if by spreading on a surface
    • laying it on thick
  2. provide, arrange
    • food laid on in abundance
  3. hand out
    • laid on awards
  4. hire
  5. attack, beat

lay·out ['lā-,au̇t] -n

  1. : the plan or design or arrangement of something laid out: as
  2. dummy
  3. final arrangement of matter to be reproduced esp. by printing
  4. the act or process of planning or laying out in detail
  5. something that is laid out
    • a model train layout
  6. land or structures or rooms used for a particular purpose
    • a cattle-ranching layout
  7. place
  8. a set or outfit esp. of tools

lay out -vt

  1. display, exhibit
  2. spend
  3. to prepare (a corpse) for viewing
  4. to knock flat or unconscious
  5. to plan in detail
    • lay out a campaign
  6. arrange, design
  7. to mark (work) for drilling, machining, or filing

lay·over ['lā-,ō-vər] -n

  1. stopover

lay over -vt

  1. postpone
  2. to make a stopover

lay·peo·ple ['lā-,pē-pəl] -n pl

  1. laypersons

lay·per·son [-,pər-sᵊn] -n

  1. a member of the laity

lay reader -n

  1. a layperson authorized to conduct parts of the church services not requiring a priest or minister
  2. layman

lay to -vi

  1. lie to
  2. to bring (a ship) into the wind and hold stationary

lay·up ['lā-,əp] -n

  1. the action of laying up or the condition of being laid up
  2. a shot in basketball made from near the basket usu. by playing the ball off the backboard

lay up -vt

  1. to store up : lay by
  2. to disable or confine with illness or injury
    • a knee injury laid him up for a week
  3. to take out of active service

lay·wom·an ['lā-,wu̇-mən] -n

  1. a woman who is a member of the laity

la·zar ['la-zər, 'lā-] -n

  1. a person afflicted with a repulsive disease
  2. leper

laz·a·ret·to [,la-zə-'re-(,)tō] -n

  1. an institution (as a hospital) for those with contagious diseases
  2. a building or a ship used for detention in quarantine
  3. a space in a ship between decks used as a storeroom

La·za·rist ['la-zə-rist, lə-'zär-ist] -n

  1. vincentian

Laz·a·rus ['laz-rəs, 'la-zə-] -n

  1. a brother of Mary and Martha raised by Jesus from the dead according to the account in John 11
  2. the diseased beggar in the parable of the rich man and the beggar found in Luke 16

laze ['lāz] -vb, n

  1. to act or lie lazily : idle
  2. to pass (time) in idleness or relaxation

la·zu·lite ['la-zyü-,līt, -zhə-] -n

  1. an often crystalline azure-blue mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of aluminum, iron, and magnesium

la·zy ['lā-zē] -adj, adv, n

  1. disinclined to activity or exertion : not energetic or vigorous
  2. encouraging inactivity or indolence
    • a lazy summer day
  3. moving slowly : sluggish
  4. droopy, lax
    • a rabbit with lazy ears
  5. placed on its side
    • lazy E livestock brand
  6. not rigorous or strict
    • lazy scholarship

lazy -vi

  1. to move or lie lazily : laze

la·zy·bones ['lā-zē-,bōnz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. a lazy person

lazy eye -n

  1. amblyopia
  2. an eye affected with amblyopia

lazy Su·san [-'sü-zᵊn] -n

  1. a revolving tray used for serving food, condiments, or relishes

lazy tongs -n pl

  1. a series of jointed and pivoted bars capable of great extension used to pick up or handle something at a distance