Landlouping Land"loup`ing adjective Vagrant; wandering about.

Landlubber Land"lub`ber noun [ Prop. from land + lubber , or possibly corrupted from laudlouper .] (Nautical) One who passes his life on land; -- so called among seamen in contempt or ridicule.

Landman Land"man noun ; plural Landmen 1. A man who lives or serves on land; -- opposed to seaman .

2. (Eng.) An occupier of land. Cowell.

Landmark Land"mark` noun [ Anglo-Saxon landmearc . See Land , and Mark a sign.] 1. A mark to designate the boundary of land; any mark or fixed object (as a marked tree, a stone, a ditch, or a heap of stones) by which the limits of a farm, a town, or other portion of territory may be known and preserved.

2. Any conspicuous object on land that serves as a guide; some prominent object, as a hill or steeple.

Landmarks of history , important events by which eras or conditions are determined.

Landowner Land"own`er noun An owner of land.

Landowning Land"own`ing noun The owning of land. -- adjective Having property in land; of or pertaining to landowners.

Landreeve Land"reeve` noun [ Land + reeve an officer.] A subordinate officer on an extensive estate, who acts as an assistant to the steward.

Landscape Land"scape noun [ Formerly written also landskip .] [ Dutch landschap ; land land + - schap , equiv. to English -schip ; akin to German landschaft , Swedish landskap , Danish landskab . See Land , and -schip .] 1. A portion of land or territory which the eye can comprehend in a single view, including all the objects it contains.

2. A picture representing a scene by land or sea, actual or fancied, the chief subject being the general aspect of nature, as fields, hills, forests, water. etc.

3. The pictorial aspect of a country.

The landscape of his native country had taken hold on his heart.

Macaulay.

Landscape gardening , The art of laying out grounds and arranging trees, shrubbery, etc., in such a manner as to produce a picturesque effect.

Landscapist Land"scap`ist noun A painter of landscapes.

Landskip Land"skip noun [ See Landscape .] A landscape. [ Obsolete except in poetry.]

Straight my eye hath caught new pleasures,
Whilst the landskip round it measures.

Milton.

Landslip, Landslide Land"slip`, Land"slide` noun 1. The slipping down of a mass of land from a mountain, hill, etc.

2. The land which slips down.

Landsman Lands"man noun ; plural Landsmen . 1. One who lives on the land; -- opposed to seaman .

2. (Nautical) A sailor on his first voyage.

Landsthing Lands"thing` noun [ Danish landsthing , landsting , from land land + thing , ting , parliament. See Land ; Thing .] (Denmark.) See Legislature , below.

Landstorm Land"storm` noun [ Swedish ] See Varnpligtige .

Landstreight Land"streight` noun [ See Strait .] A narrow strip of land. [ Obsolete]

Landsturm Land"sturm` noun [ G. See Land , and Storm .] That part of the reserve force in Germany which is called out last.

Landsturm Land"sturm` noun [ G. See Land ; Storm .] In Germany and other European nations, and Japan: (a) A general levy in time of war. (b) The forces called out on such levy, composed of all men liable to service who are not in the army, navy, or Landwehr; the last line of defense, supposed to be called out only in case of invasion or other grave emergency. See Army organization , above.

Landtag Land"tag` noun [ G. See Land , and Day .] The diet or legislative body; as, the Landtag of Prussia.

Landtag Land"tag` noun [ G. See Land ; Day .] (Prussia.) See Legislasture , below.

Landwaiter Land"wait`er noun See Landing waiter , under Landing , adjective

Landward Land"ward adverb & adjective Toward the land.

Landwehr Land"wehr` noun [ G., from land land, country + wehr defense.] That part of the army, in Germany and Austria, which has completed the usual military service and is exempt from duty in time of peace, except that it is called out occasionally for drill.

Lane Lane adjective [ See Lone .] Alone. [ Scot.]

His lane , by himself; himself alone.

Lane Lane noun [ Middle English lane , lone , Anglo-Saxon lone , lone ; akin to Dutch laan , OFries. lana , lona .] A passageway between fences or hedges which is not traveled as a highroad; an alley between buildings; a narrow way among trees, rocks, and other natural obstructions; hence, in a general sense, a narrow passageway; as, a lane between lines of men, or through a field of ice.

It is become a turn-again lane unto them which they can not go through.

Tyndale.

Lang Lang adjective & adverb Long. [ Obsolete or Scot.]

Langaha Lan"ga·ha noun (Zoology) A curious colubriform snake of the genus Xyphorhynchus , from Madagascar. It is brownish red, and its nose is prolonged in the form of a sharp blade.

Langarey Lan`ga·rey" noun (Zoology) One of numerous species of long-winged, shrikelike birds of Australia and the East Indies, of the genus Artamus , and allied genera; called also wood swallow .

Langate Lan"gate noun (Surg.) A linen roller used in dressing wounds.

Langdak Lang"dak` noun (Zoology) A wolf ( Canis pallipes ), found in India, allied to the jackal.

Langrage, Langrel Lan"grage, Lan"grel noun A kind of shot formerly used at sea for tearing sails and rigging. It consisted of bolts, nails, and other pieces of iron fastened together or inclosed in a canister.

Langret Lan"gret noun A kind of loaded die. [ Obsolete]

Langridge Lan"gridge noun See Langrage . [ Sometimes compounded with shot .]

Langsyne Lang`syne" adverb & noun [ Scot. lang long + syne since.] Long since; long ago. [ Scot.]

Langteraloo Lang`ter·a·loo" noun [ See Loo .] An old game at cards. See Loo (a) . Tatler.

Language Lan"guage noun [ Middle English langage , French langage , from Latin lingua the tongue, hence speech, language; akin to English tongue . See Tongue , confer Lingual .]

1. Any means of conveying or communicating ideas; specifically, human speech; the expression of ideas by the voice; sounds, expressive of thought, articulated by the organs of the throat and mouth.

» Language consists in the oral utterance of sounds which usage has made the representatives of ideas. When two or more persons customarily annex the same sounds to the same ideas, the expression of these sounds by one person communicates his ideas to another. This is the primary sense of language , the use of which is to communicate the thoughts of one person to another through the organs of hearing. Articulate sounds are represented to the eye by letters, marks, or characters, which form words.

2. The expression of ideas by writing, or any other instrumentality.

3. The forms of speech, or the methods of expressing ideas, peculiar to a particular nation.

4. The characteristic mode of arranging words, peculiar to an individual speaker or writer; manner of expression; style.

Others for language all their care express.

Pope.

5. The inarticulate sounds by which animals inferior to man express their feelings or their wants.

6. The suggestion, by objects, actions, or conditions, of ideas associated therewith; as, the language of flowers.

There was . . . language in their very gesture.

Shak.

7. The vocabulary and phraseology belonging to an art or department of knowledge; as, medical language ; the language of chemistry or theology.

8. A race, as distinguished by its speech. [ R.]

All the people, the nations, and the languages , fell down and worshiped the golden image.

Dan. iii. 7.

Language master , a teacher of languages. [ Obsolete]

Syn. -- Speech; tongue; idiom; dialect; phraseology; diction; discourse; conversation; talk. -- Language , Speech , Tongue , Idiom , Dialect . Language is generic, denoting, in its most extended use, any mode of conveying ideas; speech is the language of articulate sounds; tongue is the Anglo-Saxon term for language, esp. for spoken language; as, the English tongue . Idiom denotes the forms of construction peculiar to a particular language; dialects are varieties of expression which spring up in different parts of a country among people speaking substantially the same language .

Language Lan"guage transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Languaged ; present participle & verbal noun Languaging .] To communicate by language; to express in language.

Others were languaged in such doubtful expressions that they have a double sense.

Fuller.

Languaged Lan"guaged adjective Having a language; skilled in language; -- chiefly used in composition. " Many- languaged nations." Pope.

Languageless Lan"guage·less adjective Lacking or wanting language; speechless; silent. Shak.

Langue d'oc Langue` d'oc" [ French, language of oc yes.] The dialect, closely akin to French, formerly spoken south of the Loire (in which the word for "yes" was oc ); Provençal.

Langue d'oïl Langue` d'oïl" [ French, language of oïl yes.] The dialect formerly spoken north of the Loire (in which the word for "yes" was oïl , French oui ).

Langued Langued adjective [ French langue tongue. See Language .] (Her.) Tongued; having the tongue visible.

Lions . . . represented as armed and langued gules.

Cussans.

Languente Lan·guen"te adverb [ Italian , present participle of languire . See Languish .] (Mus.) In a languishing manner; pathetically.

Languet Lan"guet noun [ French languette , dim. of langue tongue, Latin lingua .] 1. Anything resembling the tongue in form or office; specif., the slip of metal in an organ pipe which turns the current of air toward its mouth.

2. That part of the hilt, in certain kinds of swords, which overlaps the scabbard.

Languid Lan"guid adjective [ Latin languidus , from languere to be faint or languid: confer French languide . See Languish .]

1. Drooping or flagging from exhaustion; indisposed to exertion; without animation; weak; weary; heavy; dull. " Languid , powerless limbs. " Armstrong.

Fire their languid souls with Cato's virtue.

Addison.

2. Slow in progress; tardy. " No motion so swift or languid ." Bentley.

3. Promoting or indicating weakness or heaviness; as, a languid day.

Feebly she laugheth in the languid moon.

Keats.

Their idleness, aimless flirtations and languid airs.

W. Black.

Syn. -- Feeble; weak; faint; sickly; pining; exhausted; weary; listless; heavy; dull; heartless.

-- Lan"guid*ly , adverb -- Lan"guid*ness , noun

Languish Lan"guish intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Languished ; present participle & verbal noun Languishing .] [ Middle English languishen , languissen , French languir , Latin languere ; confer Greek ... to slacken, ... slack, Icelandic lakra to lag behind; probably akin to English lag , lax , and perhaps to English slack . See -ish .] 1. To become languid or weak; to lose strength or animation; to be or become dull, feeble or spiritless; to pine away; to wither or fade.

We . . . do languish of such diseases.

2 Esdras viii. 31.

Cease, fond nature, cease thy strife,
And let me languish into life.

Pope.

For the fields of Heshbon languish .

Is. xvi. 8.

2. To assume an expression of weariness or tender grief, appealing for sympathy. Tennyson.

Syn. -- To pine; wither; fade; droop; faint.

Languish Lan"guish intransitive verb To cause to droop or pine. [ Obsolete] Shak. Dryden.

Languish Lan"guish noun See Languishment . [ Obsolete or Poetic]

What, of death, too,
That rids our dogs of languish ?

Shak.

And the blue languish of soft Allia's eye.

Pope.

Languisher Lan"guish·er noun One who languishes.

Languishing Lan"guish·ing adjective 1. Becoming languid and weak; pining; losing health and strength.

2. Amorously pensive; as, languishing eyes, or look.

Languishingly Lan"guish·ing·ly adverb In a languishing manner.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
You are here: Webster > Letter L > Page 11 of 74.
« Previous ¦3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 ¦ Next »