Labor La"bor noun (Mining.) A stope or set of stopes. [ Spanish Amer.]

Labor Day Labor Day In most of the States and Territories of the United States, a day, usually the first Monday of September, set aside as a legal holiday, in honor of, or in the interest of, workingmen as a class. Also, a similar holiday in Canada, Australia, etc.

Labor-saving La"bor-sav`ing adjective Saving labor; adapted to supersede or diminish the labor of men; as, labor-saving machinery.

Laborant Lab"o·rant noun [ Latin laborans , present participle of laborare to labor.] A chemist. [ Obsolete] Boyle.

Laboratory Lab"o·ra·to·ry noun ; plural Laboratories . [ Shortened from elaboratory ; confer Old French elaboratoire , French laboratoire . See Elaborate , Labor. ] [ Formerly written also elaboratory. ] The workroom of a chemist; also, a place devoted to experiments in any branch of natural science; as, a chemical, physical, or biological laboratory . Hence, by extension, a place where something is prepared, or some operation is performed; as, the liver is the laboratory of the bile.

Labored La"bored adjective Bearing marks of labor and effort; elaborately wrought; not easy or natural; as, labored poetry; a labored style.

Laboredly La"bored·ly adverb In a labored manner; with labor.

Laborer La"bor·er noun [ Written also labourer .] One who labors in a toilsome occupation; a person who does work that requires strength rather than skill, as distinguished from that of an artisan .

Laboring La"bor·ing adjective 1. That labors; performing labor; esp., performing coarse, heavy work, not requiring skill also, set apart for labor; as, laboring days.

The sleep of a laboring man is sweet.

Eccl. v. 12. 2. Suffering pain or grief. Pope. Laboring oar , the oar which requires most strength and exertion; often used figuratively; as, to have, or pull, the laboring oar in some difficult undertaking.

Laborious La·bo"ri·ous adjective [ Latin laboriosus ,fr. labor labor: confer French laborieux .] 1. Requiring labor, perseverance, or sacrifices; toilsome; tiresome.

Dost thou love watchings, abstinence, or toil,
Laborious virtues all ? Learn these from Cato.

Addison. 2. Devoted to labor; diligent; industrious; as, a laborious mechanic. -- La*bo"ri*ous*ly , adverb -- La*bo"ri*ous*ness , noun

Laborless La"bor·less (lā"bẽr*lĕs) adjective Not involving labor; not laborious; easy.

Laborous La"bor·ous (lā"bẽr*ŭs) adjective Laborious. [ Obsolete] Wyatt. -- La"bor*ous*ly , adverb [ Obsolete] Sir T. Elyot.

Laborsome La"bor·some adjective 1. Made with, or requiring, great labor, pains, or diligence. [ Obsolete] Shak. 2. (Nautical) Likely or inclined to roll or pitch, as a ship in a heavy sea; having a tendency to labor.

Labrador Lab`ra·dor" noun A region of British America on the Atlantic coast, north of Newfoundland. Labrador duck (Zoology) , a sea duck ( Camtolaimus Labradorius ) allied to the eider ducks. It was formerly common on the coast of New England, but is now supposed to be extinct, no specimens having been reported since 1878. -- Labrador feldspar . See Labradorite . -- Labrador tea (Botany) , a name of two low, evergreen shrubs of the genus Ledum ( Latin palustre and Latin latifolium ), found in Northern Europe and America. They are used as tea in British America, and in Scandinavia as a substitute for hops.

Labradorite Lab"ra·dor`ite noun (Min.) A kind of feldspar commonly showing a beautiful play of colors, and hence much used for ornamental purposes. The finest specimens come from Labrador. See Feldspar .

Labras La"bras noun plural [ Latin labrum ; confer Italian labbro , plural labbra .] Lips. [ Obsolete & R.] Shak.

Labret La"bret noun [ Latin labrum lip.] (Anthropology) A piece of wood, shell, stone, or other substance, worn in a perforation of the lip or cheek by many savages.

Labroid La"broid adjective [ Labrus + - oid .] (Zoology) Like the genus Labrus; belonging to the family Labridæ , an extensive family of marine fishes, often brilliantly colored, which are very abundant in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The tautog and cunner are American examples.

Labrose La"brose` (la"brōs`) adjective [ Latin labrosus , from labrum lip.] Having thick lips.

Labrum La"brum noun ; plural Latin Labra , English Labrums . [ Latin ] 1. A lip or edge, as of a basin. 2. (Zoology) (a) An organ in insects and crustaceans covering the upper part of the mouth, and serving as an upper lip. See Illust. of Hymenoptera . (b) The external margin of the aperture of a shell. See Univalve .

Labrus La"brus noun ; plural Labri (-brī). [ Latin , a sort of fish.] (Zoology) A genus of marine fishes, including the wrasses of Europe. See Wrasse .

Laburnic La·bur`nic (lȧ*bûr"nĭk) adjective Of, pertaining to, or derived from, the laburnum.

Laburnine La·bur`nine noun (Chemistry) A poisonous alkaloid found in the unripe seeds of the laburnum.

Laburnum La·bur"num noun [ Latin ] (Botany) A small leguminous tree ( Cytisus Laburnum ), native of the Alps. The plant is reputed to be poisonous, esp. the bark and seeds. It has handsome racemes of yellow blossoms. » Scotch laburnum ( Cytisus alpinus ) is similar, but has smooth leaves; purple laburnum is C. purpureus .

Labyrinth Lab"y·rinth noun [ Latin labyrinthus , Greek laby`rinthos : confer French labyrinthe .] 1. An edifice or place full of intricate passageways which render it difficult to find the way from the interior to the entrance; as, the Egyptian and Cretan labyrinths . 2. Any intricate or involved inclosure; especially, an ornamental maze or inclosure in a park or garden. 3. Any object or arrangement of an intricate or involved form, or having a very complicated nature.

The serpent . . . fast sleeping soon he found,
In labyrinth of many a round self-rolled.

Milton.

The labyrinth of the mind.

Tennyson. 4. An inextricable or bewildering difficulty.

I' the maze and winding labyrinths o' the world .

Denham. 5. (Anat.) The internal ear. See Note under Ear . 6. (Metal.) A series of canals through which a stream of water is directed for suspending, carrying off, and depositing at different distances, the ground ore of a metal. Ure. 7. (Architecture) A pattern or design representing a maze, -- often inlaid in the tiled floor of a church, etc. Syn. -- Maze; confusion; intricacy; windings. -- Labyrinth , Maze . Labyrinth , originally; the name of an edifice or excavation, carries the idea of design, and construction in a permanent form, while maze is used of anything confused or confusing, whether fixed or shifting. Maze is less restricted in its figurative uses than labyrinth . We speak of the labyrinth of the ear, or of the mind, and of a labyrinth of difficulties; but of the mazes of the dance, the mazes of political intrigue, or of the mind being in a maze .

Labyrinthal Lab`y·rin"thal adjective Pertaining to, or resembling, a labyrinth; intricate; labyrinthian.

Labyrinthian Lab`y·rin"thi·an adjective Intricately winding; like a labyrinth; perplexed; labyrinthal.

Labyrinthibranch Lab`y·rin"thi·branch adjective [ See Labyrinth , and Branchia .] (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the Labyrinthici. -- noun One of the Labyrinthici.

Labyrinthic, Labyrinthical Lab`y·rin"thic, Lab`y·rin`thic·al adjective [ Latin labyrinthicus : confer French labyrinthique .] Like or pertaining to a labyrinth.

Labyrinthici Lab`y·rin"thi·ci noun plural [ New Latin See Labyrinth .] (Zoology) An order of teleostean fishes, including the Anabas, or climbing perch, and other allied fishes. » They have, connected with the gill chamber, a special cavity in which a labyrinthiform membrane is arranged so as to retain water to supply the gills while the fish leaves the water and travels about on land, or even climbs trees.

Labyrinthiform Lab`y·rin"thi·form adjective [ Labyrinth + -form : confer French labyrinthiforme .] Having the form of a labyrinth; intricate.

Labyrinthine Lab`y·rin"thine adjective Pertaining to, or like, a labyrinth; labyrinthal.

Labyrinthodon Lab`y·rin"tho·don noun [ Greek laby`rinqos labyrinth + 'odoy`s , 'odo`ntos , tooth.] (Paleon.) A genus of very large fossil amphibians, of the Triassic period, having bony plates on the under side of the body. It is the type of the order Labyrinthodonta. Called also Mastodonsaurus .

Labyrinthodont Lab`y·rin"tho·dont adjective (Paleon.) Of or pertaining to the Labyrinthodonta. -- noun One of the Labyrinthodonta.

Labyrinthodonta Lab`y·rin`tho·don"ta noun plural [ New Latin See Labyrinthodon .] (Paleon.) An extinct order of Amphibia, including the typical genus Labyrinthodon, and many other allied forms, from the Carboniferous, Permian, and Triassic formations. By recent writers they are divided into two or more orders. See Stegocephala .

Lac Lac (lăk), Lakh (läk) }, noun [ Hind. lak , lākh , lāksh , Sanskrit laksha a mark, sign, lakh.] One hundred thousand; also, a vaguely great number; as, a lac of rupees. [ Written also lack .] [ East Indies]

Lac Lac noun [ Persian lak ; akin to Sanskrit lākshā : confer French lague , Italian & New Latin lacca . Confer Lake a color, Lacquer , Litmus .] A resinous substance produced mainly on the banyan tree, but to some extent on other trees, by the Coccus lacca , a scale-shaped insect, the female of which fixes herself on the bark, and exudes from the margin of her body this resinous substance. » Stick-lac is the substance in its natural state, incrusting small twigs. When broken off, and the coloring matter partly removed, the granular residuum is called seed-lac . When melted, and reduced to a thin crust, it is called shell-lac or shellac . Lac is an important ingredient in sealing wax, dyes, varnishes, and lacquers. Ceylon lac , a resinous exudation of the tree Croton lacciferum , resembling lac. -- Lac dye , a scarlet dye obtained from stick-lac. -- Lac lake , the coloring matter of lac dye when precipitated from its solutions by alum. -- Mexican lac , an exudation of the tree Croton Draco .

Laccic Lac"cic (lăk"sĭk) adjective [ Confer French laccique .] (Chemistry) Pertaining to lac, or produced from it; as, laccic acid.

Laccin Lac"cin noun [ Confer French laccine .] (Chemistry) A yellow amorphous substance obtained from lac.

Laccolite, Laccolith Lac"co·lite, Lac"co·lith noun [ Greek ... a cistern + -lite , - lith .] (Geol.) A mass of igneous rock intruded between sedimentary beds and resulting in a mammiform bulging of the overlying strata. -- Lac`co*lit"ic adjective

Lace Lace (lās) noun [ Middle English las , Old French laz , French lacs , dim. lacet , from Latin laqueus noose, snare; probably akin to lacere to entice. Confer Delight , Elicit , Lasso , Latchet .] 1. That which binds or holds, especially by being interwoven; a string, cord, or band, usually one passing through eyelet or other holes, and used in drawing and holding together parts of a garment, of a shoe, of a machine belt, etc.

His hat hung at his back down by a lace .

Chaucer.

For striving more, the more in laces strong
Himself he tied.

Spenser. 2. A snare or gin, especially one made of interwoven cords; a net. [ Obsolete] Fairfax.

Vulcanus had caught thee [ Venus] in his lace .

Chaucer. 3. A fabric of fine threads of linen, silk, cotton, etc., often ornamented with figures; a delicate tissue of thread, much worn as an ornament of dress.

Our English dames are much given to the wearing of costly laces .

Bacon. 4. Spirits added to coffee or some other beverage. [ Old Slang] Addison. Alencon lace , a kind of point lace, entirely of needlework, first made at Alencon in France, in the 17th century. It is very durable and of great beauty and cost. -- Bone lace , Brussels lace , etc. See under Bone , Brussels , etc. -- Gold lace , or Silver lace , lace having warp threads of silk, or silk and cotton, and a weft of silk threads covered with gold (or silver), or with gilt. -- Lace leather , thin, oil-tanned leather suitable for cutting into lacings for machine belts. -- Lace lizard (Zoology) , a large, aquatic, Australian lizard ( Hydrosaurus giganteus ), allied to the monitors. -- Lace paper , paper with an openwork design in imitation of lace. -- Lace piece (Shipbuilding) , the main piece of timber which supports the beak or head projecting beyond the stem of a ship. -- Lace pillow , & Pillow lace . See under Pillow .

Lace Lace transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Laced (āst); present participle & verbal noun Lacing .] 1. To fasten with a lace; to draw together with a lace passed through eyelet holes; to unite with a lace or laces, or, figuratively. with anything resembling laces. Shak.

When Jenny's stays are newly laced .

Prior. 2. To adorn with narrow strips or braids of some decorative material; as, cloth laced with silver. Shak. 3. To beat; to lash; to make stripes on. [ Colloq.]

I'll lace your coat for ye.

L'Estrange. 4. To add spirits to (a beverage). [ Old Slang]

Lace Lace intransitive verb To be fastened with a lace, or laces; as, these boots lace .

Lace Lace transitive verb To twine or draw as a lace; to interlace; to intertwine.

The Gond . . . picked up a trail of the Karela, the vine that bears the bitter wild gourd, and laced it to and fro across the temble door.

Kipling.

Lace-bark Lace"-bark` noun (Botany) A shrub in the West Indies ( Lagetta Iintearia ); -- so called from the lacelike layers of its inner bark.

Lace-winged Lace"-winged` adjective (Zoology) Having thin, transparent, reticulated wings; as, the lace- winged flies.

Laced Laced adjective 1. Fastened with a lace or laces; decorated with narrow strips or braid. See Lace , transitive verb 2. Decorated with the fabric lace.

A shirt with laced ruffles.

Fielding. Laced mutton , a prostitute. [ Old slang] -- Laced stocking , a strong stocking which can be tightly laced; -- used in cases of weak legs, varicose veins, etc. Dunglison.

Lacedæmonian Lac`e·dæ·mo"ni·an adjective [ Latin Lacedamonius , Greek Lakedaimo`nios , from Lakedai`mwn Lacedæmon.] Of or pertaining to Lacedæmon or Sparta, the chief city of Laconia in the Peloponnesus. -- noun A Spartan. [ Written also Lacedemonian .]

Laceman Lace"man noun ; plural Lacemen A man who deals in lace.

Lacerable Lac"er·a·ble adjective [ Latin lacerabilis : confer French lacérable .] That can be lacerated or torn.