Laudability Laud`a·bil"i·ty noun [ Latin laudabilitas .] Laudableness; praiseworthiness.

Laudable Laud"a·ble adjective [ Latin laudabilis : confer Middle English laudable . See Laud , intransitive verb ] 1. Worthy of being lauded; praiseworthy; commendable; as, laudable motives; laudable actions; laudable ambition.

2. (Medicine) Healthy; salubrious; normal; having a disposition to promote healing; not noxious; as, laudable juices of the body; laudable pus. Arbuthnot.

Laudableness Laud"a·ble·ness (lad"ȧ*b'l*nĕs) noun The quality of being laudable; praiseworthiness; commendableness.

Laudably Laud"a·bly adverb In a laudable manner.

Laudanine Lau"da·nine noun [ From Laudanum .] (Chemistry) A white organic base, resembling morphine, and obtained from certain varieties of opium.

Laudanum Lau"da·num noun [ Orig. the same wort as ladanum , ladbdanum : confer French laudanum , Italian laudano , ladano . See Ladanum .] Tincture of opium, used for various medical purposes.

» A fluid ounce of American laudanum should contain the soluble matter of one tenth of an ounce avoirdupois of powdered opium with equal parts of alcohol and water. English laudanum should have ten grains less of opium in the fluid ounce. U. S. Disp.

Dutchman's laudanum (Botany) See under Dutchman .

Laudation Lau·da"tion noun [ Latin laudatio : confer Middle English taudation . See Land , transitive verb ] The act of lauding; praise; high commendation.

Laudative Laud"a·tive adjective [ Latin laudativus laudatory: confer French laudatif .] Laudatory.

Laudative Laud"a·tive noun A panegyric; a eulogy. [ Obsolete] Bacon.

Laudator Lau·da"tor noun [ Latin ] 1. One who lauds.

2. (Law) An arbitrator. [ Obsolete] Cowell.

Laudatory Laud"a·to·ry adjective [ Latin laudatorius : confer Old French laudatoire .] Of or pertaining praise, or to the expression of praise; as, laudatory verses; the laudatory powers of Dryden. Sir J. Stephen.

Lauder Laud"er noun One who lauds.

Laugh Laugh intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Laughed present participle & verbal noun Laughing .] [ Middle English laughen , laghen , lauhen , Anglo-Saxon hlehhan , hlihhan , hlyhhan , hliehhan ; akin to Old Saxon hlahan , D. & German lachen , Old High German hlahhan , lahhan , lahhēn , Icelandic hlæja , Danish lee , Swedish le , Goth. hlahjan ; perhaps of imitative origin.] 1. To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and eyes, and usually accompanied by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter.

Queen Hecuba laughed that her eyes ran o'er.

Shak.

He laugheth that winneth.

Heywood's Prov.

2. Fig.: To be or appear gay, cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.

Then laughs the childish year, with flowerets crowned.

Dryden.

In Folly's cup still laughs the bubble Joy.

Pope.

To laugh at , to make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride.

No wit to flatter left of all his store,
No fool to laugh at , which he valued more.

Pope.

-- To laugh in the sleeve , to laugh secretly, or so as not to be observed, especially while apparently preserving a grave or serious demeanor toward the person or persons laughed at. -- To laugh out , to laugh in spite of some restraining influence; to laugh aloud. -- To laugh out of the other corner (or side ) of the mouth , to weep or cry; to feel regret, vexation, or disappointment after hilarity or exaltation. [ Slang]

Laugh Laugh transitive verb 1. To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.

Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy?

Shak.

I shall laugh myself to death.

Shak.

2. To express by, or utter with, laughter; -- with out .

From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause.

Shak.

To laugh away . (a) To drive away by laughter; as, to laugh away regret . (b) To waste in hilarity. "Pompey doth this day laugh away his fortune." Shak. -- To laugh down . (a) To cause to cease or desist by laughter; as, to laugh down a speaker . (b) To cause to be given up on account of ridicule; as, to laugh down a reform. -- To laugh one out of , to cause one by laughter or ridicule to abandon or give up; as, to laugh one out of a plan or purpose. -- To laugh to scorn , to deride; to treat with mockery, contempt, and scorn; to despise.

Laugh Laugh noun An expression of mirth peculiar to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter. See Laugh , intransitive verb

And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.

Goldsmith.

That man is a bad man who has not within him the power of a hearty laugh .

F. W. Robertson.

Laughable Laugh"a·ble adjective Fitted to excite laughter; as, a laughable story; a laughable scene.

Syn. -- Droll; ludicrous; mirthful; comical. See Droll , and Ludicrous .

-- Laugh"a*ble*ness , noun -- Laugh"a*bly , adverb

Laugher Laugh"er noun 1. One who laughs.

2. A variety of the domestic pigeon.

Laughing Laugh"ing adjective & noun from Laugh , intransitive verb

Laughing falcon (Zoology) , a South American hawk ( Herpetotheres cachinnans ); -- so called from its notes, which resemble a shrill laugh. -- Laughing gas (Chemistry) , hyponitrous oxide, or protoxide of nitrogen; -- so called from the exhilaration and laughing which it sometimes produces when inhaled. It is much used as an anæsthetic agent. -- Laughing goose (Zoology) , the European white-fronted goose. -- Laughing gull . (Zoology) (a) A common European gull ( Xema ridibundus ); -- called also pewit , black cap , red-legged gull , and sea crow . (b) An American gull ( Larus atricilla ). In summer the head is nearly black, the back slate color, and the five outer primaries black. -- Laughing hyena (Zoology) , the spotted hyena. See Hyena . -- Laughing jackass (Zoology) , the great brown kingfisher ( Dacelo gigas ), of Australia; -- called also giant kingfisher , and gogobera . -- Laughing owl (Zoology) , a peculiar owl ( Sceloglaux albifacies ) of New Zealand, said to be on the verge of extinction. The name alludes to its notes.

Laughingly Laugh"ing·ly adverb With laughter or merriment.

Laughingstock Laugh"ing·stock` noun An object of ridicule; a butt of sport. Shak.

When he talked, he talked nonsense, and made himself the laughingstock of his hearers.

Macaulay.

Laughsome Laugh"some adjective Exciting laughter; also, addicted to laughter; merry. [ R.]

Laughter Laugh"ter noun [ Anglo-Saxon hleahtor ; akin to Old High German hlahtar , German gelächter , Icelandic hlātr , Danish latter . See Laugh , intransitive verb ] A movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the face, particularly of the lips, with a peculiar expression of the eyes, indicating merriment, satisfaction, or derision, and usually attended by a sonorous and interrupted expulsion of air from the lungs. See Laugh , intransitive verb

The act of laughter , which is a sweet contraction of the muscles of the face, and a pleasant agitation of the vocal organs, is not merely, or totally within the jurisdiction of ourselves.

Sir T. Browne.

Archly the maiden smiled, and with eyes overrunning with laughter .

Longfellow.

Laughterless Laugh"ter·less adjective Not laughing; without laughter.

Laughworthy Laugh"wor`thy adjective Deserving to be laughed at. [ R.] B. Jonson.

Laumontite Lau"mont·ite noun [ From Dr. Laumont , the discoverer.] (Min.) A mineral, of a white color and vitreous luster. It is a hydrous silicate of alumina and lime. Exposed to the air, it loses water, becomes opaque, and crumbles. [ Written also laumonite .]

Launce Launce noun A lance. [ Obsolete]

Launce Launce noun [ Italian lance , Latin lanx , lancis , plate, scale of a balance. Confer Balance .] A balance. [ Obsolete]

Fortune all in equal launce doth sway.

Spenser.

Launce Launce noun (Zoology) See Lant , the fish.

Launcegaye Launce"gaye` noun See Lancegaye . [ Obsolete]

Launch Launch (länch) intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Launched (läncht); present participle & verbal noun Launching .] [ Middle English launchen to throw as a lance, Old French lanchier , another form of lancier , French lancer , from lance lance. See Lance .] [ Written also lanch .] 1. To throw, as a lance or dart; to hurl; to let fly.

2. To strike with, or as with, a lance; to pierce. [ Obsolete]

Launch your hearts with lamentable wounds.

Spenser.

3. To cause to move or slide from the land into the water; to set afloat; as, to launch a ship.

With stays and cordage last he rigged the ship,
And rolled on levers, launched her in the deep.

Pope.

4. To send out; to start (one) on a career; to set going; to give a start to (something); to put in operation; as, to launch a son in the world; to launch a business project or enterprise.

All art is used to sink episcopacy, and launch presbytery in England.

Eikon Basilike.

Launch Launch intransitive verb To move with force and swiftness like a sliding from the stocks into the water; to plunge; to make a beginning; as, to launch into the current of a stream; to launch into an argument or discussion; to launch into lavish expenditures; -- often with out .

Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

Luke v. 4.

He [ Spenser] launches out into very flowery paths.

Prior.

Launch Launch noun 1. The act of launching.

2. The movement of a vessel from land into the water; especially, the sliding on ways from the stocks on which it is built.

3. [ Confer Spanish lancha .] (Nautical) The boat of the largest size belonging to a ship of war; also, an open boat of any size driven by steam, naphtha, electricity, or the like.

Launching ways . (Nautical) See Way , noun (Nautical) .

Laund Laund (land) noun [ See Lawn of grass.] A plain sprinkled with trees or underbrush; a glade. [ Obsolete]

In a laund upon an hill of flowers.

Chaucer.

Through this laund anon the deer will come.

Shak.

Launder Laun"der (län"dẽr) noun [ Contracted from Middle English lavender , French lavandière , Late Latin lavandena , from Latin lavare to wash. See Lave .] 1. A washerwoman. [ Obsolete]

2. (Mining) A trough used by miners to receive the powdered ore from the box where it is beaten, or for carrying water to the stamps, or other apparatus, for comminuting, or sorting, the ore.

Launder Laun"der transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Laundered (-dẽrd); present participle & verbal noun Laundering .] 1. To wash, as clothes; to wash, and to smooth with a flatiron or mangle; to wash and iron; as, to launder shirts.

2. To lave; to wet. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Launderer Laun"der·er noun One who follows the business of laundering.

Laundering Laun"der·ing noun The act, or occupation, of one who launders; washing and ironing.

Laundress Laun"dress noun A woman whose employment is laundering.

Laundress Laun"dress intransitive verb To act as a laundress. [ Obsolete]

Laundry Laun"dry noun ; plural Laundries . [ Middle English lavendrie , Old French lavanderie . See Launder .] 1. A laundering; a washing.

2. A place or room where laundering is done.

Laundryman Laun"dry·man noun ; plural Laundrymen A man who follows the business of laundering.

Laura Lau"ra noun [ Late Latin , from Greek lane, defile, also, a kind of monastery.] (R. C. Ch.) A number of hermitages or cells in the same neighborhood occupied by anchorites who were under the same superior. C. Kingsley.

Lauraceous Lau·ra"ceous adjective [ From Laurus .] (Botany) Belonging to, or resembling, a natural order ( Lauraceæ ) of trees and shrubs having aromatic bark and foliage, and including the laurel, sassafras, cinnamon tree, true camphor tree, etc.

Laurate Lau"rate noun (Chemistry) A salt of lauric acid.

Laureate Lau"re·ate adjective [ Latin laureatus , from laurea laurel tree, from laureus of laurel, from laurus laurel: confer French lauréat . Confer Laurel .] Crowned, or decked, with laurel. Chaucer.

To strew the laureate hearse where Lycid lies.

Milton.

Soft on her lap her laureate son reclines.

Pope.

Poet laureate . (b) One who received an honorable degree in grammar, including poetry and rhetoric, at the English universities; -- so called as being presented with a wreath of laurel . [ Obsolete] (b) Formerly, an officer of the king's household, whose business was to compose an ode annually for the king's birthday, and other suitable occasions; now, a poet officially distinguished by such honorary title, the office being a sinecure. It is said this title was first given in the time of Edward IV. [ Eng.]

Laureate Lau"re·ate noun One crowned with laurel; a poet laureate. "A learned laureate ." Cleveland.

Laureate Lau"re·ate intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Laureated ; present participle & verbal noun Laureating .] To honor with a wreath of laurel, as formerly was done in bestowing a degree at the English universities.

Laureateship Lau"re·ate·ship noun State, or office, of a laureate.

Laureation Lau`re·a"tion noun [ Confer French lauréation .] The act of crowning with laurel; the act of conferring an academic degree, or honorary title.

Laurel Lau"rel noun [ Middle English lorel , laurer , lorer , Old French lorier , laurier , French laurier , (assumed) Late Latin Laurarius , from Latin laurus .] 1. (Botany) An evergreen shrub, of the genus Laurus ( Latin nobilis ), having aromatic leaves of a lanceolate shape, with clusters of small, yellowish white flowers in their axils; -- called also sweet bay . The fruit is a purple berry. It is found about the Mediterranean, and was early used by the ancient Greeks to crown the victor in the games of Apollo. At a later period, academic honors were indicated by a crown of laurel, with the fruit. The leaves and tree yield an aromatic oil, used to flavor the bay water of commerce.

» The name is extended to other plants which in some respect resemble the true laurel. See Phrases, below.

2. A crown of laurel; hence, honor; distinction; fame; -- especially in the plural; as, to win laurels .

3. An English gold coin made in 1619, and so called because the king's head on it was crowned with laurel.

Laurel water , water distilled from the fresh leaves of the cherry laurel, and containing prussic acid and other products carried over in the process.

American laurel , or Mountain laurel , Kalmia latifolia . See under Mountain . -- California laurel , Umbellularia Californica . -- Cherry laurel (in England called laurel ). See under Cherry . -- Great laurel , the rosebay ( Rhododendron maximum ). -- Ground laurel , trailing arbutus. -- New Zealand laurel , Laurelia Novæ Zelandiæ . -- Portugal laurel , the Prunus Lusitanica . -- Rose laurel , the oleander. See Oleander . -- Sheep laurel , a poisonous shrub, Kalmia angustifolia , smaller than the mountain laurel, and with smaller and redder flowers. -- Spurge laurel , Daphne Laureola . -- West Indian laurel , Prunus occidentalis .

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