Legitimate Le·git"i·mate (-māt)
transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Legitimated (- mā`tĕd);
present participle & verbal noun Legitimating (-mā`tĭng).]
To make legitimate, lawful, or valid; esp., to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means; as, to legitimate a bastard child. To enact a statute of that which he dares not seem to approve, even to legitimate vice.
Milton.
Legitimately Le·git"i·mate·ly (-mat*lȳ)
adverb In a legitimate manner; lawfully; genuinely.
Legitimateness Le·git"i·mate·ness noun The state or quality of being legitimate; lawfulness; genuineness.
Legitimation Le·git`i·ma"tion (-mā"shŭn)
noun [ Confer French
légitimation .]
1. The act of making legitimate. The coining or legitimation of money.
East. 2. Lawful birth. [ R.]
Shak.
Legitimatist Le·git"i·ma·tist (le*jĭt"ĭ*mȧ*tĭst)
noun See Legitimist .
Legitimatize Le·git"i·ma·tize (-tīz)
transitive verb To legitimate.
Legitimism Le·git"i·mism (-mĭz'm)
noun The principles or plans of legitimists.
Legitimist Le·git"i·mist (-mĭst)
noun [ Confer French
légitimiste .]
1. One who supports legitimate authority; esp., one who believes in hereditary monarchy, as a divine right. 2. Specifically, a supporter of the claims of the elder branch of the Bourbon dynasty to the crown of France.
Legitimize Le·git"i·mize (le*jĭt"ĭ*mīz)
transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Legitimized (-mīzd);
present participle & verbal noun Legitimizing .]
To legitimate.
Legless Leg"less (lĕg"lĕs)
adjective Not having a leg.
Lego-literary Le"go-lit"er·a·ry (lē"go- lĭt"ẽr*a*rȳ)
adjective [ See
Legal , and
Literary .]
Pertaining to the literature of law.
Leguleian Le`gu·le"ian (lē`gu*lē"y
a n)
adjective [ Latin
leguleius pettifogger, from
lex ,
legis , law.]
Lawyerlike; legal. [ R.] "
Leguleian barbarism."
De Quincey. --
noun A lawyer.
Legume Leg"ume (lĕg"um or le*gūm")
noun [ French
légume , Latin
legumen , from
legere to gather. So called because they may be gathered without cutting. See
Legend .]
1. (Botany) A pod dehiscent into two pieces or valves, and having the seed attached at one suture, as that of the pea. » In the latter circumstance, it differs from a
siliqua , in which the seeds are attached to both sutures. In popular use, a
legume is called a
pod , or
cod ; as, pea
pod , or peas
cod .
2. plural The fruit of leguminous plants, as peas, beans, lupines; pulse.
Legumen Le·gu"men (le*gū"mĕn)
noun ;
plural Latin
Legumina (- mĭ*nȧ), English
Legumens (-mĕnz). [ Latin ]
Same as Legume .
Legumin Le·gu"min (-mĭn)
noun [ Confer French
légumine .]
(Physiol. Chem.) An albuminous substance resembling casein, found as a characteristic ingredient of the seeds of leguminous and grain-bearing plants.
Leguminous Le·gu"mi·nous (-mĭ*nŭs)
adjective [ Confer French
légumineux .]
1. Pertaining to pulse; consisting of pulse. 2. (Botany) Belonging to, or resembling, a very large natural order of plants ( Leguminosæ ), which bear legumes, including peas, beans, clover, locust trees, acacias, and mimosas.
Leiger Lei"ger (lē"jẽr)
noun [ See
Leger , and
Ledger .]
See Leger , noun , 2. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Leiotrichan Lei·ot"ri·chan (li*ŏt"rĭ*k
a n)
adjective Of or pertaining to the Leiotrichi. - -
noun One of the Leiotrichi.
Leiotrichi Lei·ot"ri·chi (-kī)
noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek
lei^os smooth +
qri`x ,
tricho`s , hair.]
(Anthropol.) The division of mankind which embraces the smooth-haired races.
Leiotrichous Lei·ot"ri·chous (-kŭs)
adjective [ See
Leiotrichi .]
(Anthropol.) Having smooth, or nearly smooth, hair.
Leipoa Lei·po"a (li*pō"ȧ)
noun [ New Latin ]
(Zoology) A genus of Australian gallinaceous birds including but a single species ( Leipoa ocellata ), about the size of a turkey. Its color is variegated, brown, black, white, and gray. Called also native pheasant . » It makes large mounds of sand and vegetable material, in which its eggs are laid to be hatched by the heat of the decomposing mass.
Leipothymic Lei`po·thym"ic (lī`po*thĭm"ĭk)
adjective See Lipothymic .
Leister, Lister Leis"ter, Lis"ter (lĭs"tẽr)
noun A spear armed with three or more prongs, for striking fish. [ Scotland]
Leisurable Lei"sur·a·ble (lē"zhur*ȧ*b'l; 135)
adjective [ See
Leisure .]
1. Leisurely. [ Obsolete]
Hooker. 2. Vacant of employment; not occupied; idle; leisure; as leisurable hours. [ Obsolete]
Sir T. Browne.
Leisurably Lei"sur·a·bly adverb At leisure. [ Obsolete]
Leisure Lei"sure (lē"zhur; 135)
noun [ Middle English
leisere ,
leiser , Old French
leisir , French
loisir , orig., permission, from Latin
licere to be permitted. See
License .]
1. Freedom from occupation or business; vacant time; time free from employment. The desire of leisure is much more natural than of business and care.
Sir W. Temple. 2. Time at one's command, free from engagement; convenient opportunity; hence, convenience; ease. He sighed, and had no leisure more to say.
Dryden. At leisure .
(a) Free from occupation; not busy .
(b) In a leisurely manner; at a convenient time.
Leisure Lei"sure adjective Unemployed; as, leisure hours.
Leisured Lei"sured (lē"zhurd)
adjective Having leisure. "The
leisured classes."
Gladstone.
Leisurely Lei"sure·ly (lē"zhur*lȳ)
adjective Characterized by leisure; taking abundant time; not hurried; as, a leisurely manner; a leisurely walk.
Leisurely Lei"sure·ly adverb In a leisurely manner. Addison.
Leitmotif Leit"mo·tif" (līt"mo*tef")
noun [ G.]
(Mus.) See Leading motive , under Leading , adjective
Leman Le"man (lē"m
a n or lĕm"
a n; 277)
noun [ Middle English
lemman ,
lefman ; Anglo-Saxon
leóf dear +
mann man. See
Lief , and
Man .]
A sweetheart, of either sex; a gallant, or a mistress; -- usually in a bad sense. [ Archaic]
Chaucer. Spenser. Shak.
Leme Leme (lēm)
noun [ Middle English
leem ,
leme ,
leam , Anglo-Saxon
leóma light, brightness; akin to English
light ,
noun √122.]
A ray or glimmer of light; a gleam. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Leme Leme intransitive verb To shine. [ Obsolete]
Piers Plowman.
Lemma Lem"ma (lĕm"mȧ)
noun ;
plural Latin
Lemmata (-mȧ*tȧ), English
Lemmas (-mȧz). [ Latin
lemma , Greek
lh^mma anything received, an assumption or premise taken for granted, from
lamba`nein to take, assume. Confer
Syllable .]
A preliminary or auxiliary proposition demonstrated or accepted for immediate use in the demonstration of some other proposition, as in mathematics or logic.
Lemman Lem"man (lĕm"m
a n)
noun A leman. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Lemming Lem"ming (lĕm"mĭng)
noun [ Nor.
lemming ,
lemende ; confer Swedish
lemel , Lapp.
lummik .]
(Zoology) Any one of several species of small arctic rodents of the genera Myodes and Cuniculus , resembling the meadow mice in form. They are found in both hemispheres. » The common Northern European lemming (
Myodes lemmus ) is remarkable for making occasional devastating migrations in enormous numbers from the mountains into the lowlands.
Lemnian Lem"ni·an (lĕm"nĭ*
a n)
adjective [ Latin
Lemnius , from
Lemnus , Greek
Lh^mnos .]
Of or pertaining to the isle of Lemnos. Lemnian bole ,
Lemnian earth ,
an aluminous earth of a grayish yellow color; sphragide; -- formerly sold as medicine, having astringent properties. --
Lemnian reddle ,
a reddle of firm consistence and deep red color; -- used by artificers in coloring.
Lemniscata Lem`nis·ca"ta (lĕm`nĭs*kā"tȧ),
Lem*nis"cate (lĕm*nĭs"kat)
noun [ Latin
lemniscatus adorned with ribbons, from
lemniscus a ribbon hanging down, Greek
lhmni`skos .]
(Geom.) A curve in the form of the figure 8, with both parts symmetrical, generated by the point in which a tangent to an equilateral hyperbola meets the perpendicular on it drawn from the center.
Lemniscus Lem·nis"cus (lĕm*nĭs"kŭs)
noun ;
plural Lemnisci (- sī). [ Latin See
Lemniscata .]
(Zoology) One of two oval bodies hanging from the interior walls of the body in the Acanthocephala.
Lemon Lem"on (lĕm"ŭn)
noun [ French
limon , Persian
līmūn ; confer Arabic
laimūn , Spanish
limon , Italian
limone . Confer
Lime a fruit.]
1. (Botany) An oval or roundish fruit resembling the orange, and containing a pulp usually intensely acid. It is produced by a tropical tree of the genus Citrus , the common fruit known in commerce being that of the species C. Limonum or C. Medica (var. Limonum ). There are many varieties of the fruit, some of which are sweet. 2. The tree which bears lemons; the lemon tree. Lemon grass (Botany) ,
a fragrant East Indian grass ( Andropogon Shœnanthus , and perhaps other allied species), which yields the grass oil used in perfumery. - -
Lemon sole (Zoology) ,
a yellow European sole ( Solea aurantiaca ). --
Salts of lemon (Chemistry) ,
a white crystalline substance, inappropriately named, as it consists of an acid potassium oxalate and contains no citric acid, which is the characteristic acid of lemon; -- called also salts of sorrel . It is used in removing ink stains. See Oxalic acid , under Oxalic . [ Colloq.]
Lemonade Lem`on·ade" (lĕm`ŭn*ād")
noun [ French
limonade ; confer Spanish
limonada , Italian
limonata . See
Lemon .]
A beverage consisting of lemon juice mixed with water and sweetened.
Lemur Le"mur (lē"mŭr)
noun [ Latin , a ghost, specter. So called on account of its habit of going abroad by night.]
(Zoology) One of a family ( Lemuridæ ) of nocturnal mammals allied to the monkeys, but of small size, and having a sharp and foxlike muzzle, and large eyes. They feed upon birds, insects, and fruit, and are mostly natives of Madagascar and the neighboring islands, one genus ( Galago ) occurring in Africa. The slow lemur or kukang of the East Indies is Nycticebus tardigradus . See Galago , Indris , and Colugo .
Lemures Lem"u·res (lĕm"u*rēz; E. lē"mūrz)
noun plural [ Latin See
Lemur .]
Spirits or ghosts of the departed; specters. The Lars and Lemures moan with midnight plaint.
Milton.
Lemuria Le·mu"ri·a (le*mū"rĭ*ȧ)
noun [ So named from the supposition that it was the original home of the
lemurs .]
A hypothetical land, or continent, supposed by some to have existed formerly in the Indian Ocean, of which Madagascar is a remnant. Herschel.
Lemurid Lem"u·rid (lĕm"u*rĭd)
adjective & noun (Zoology) Same as Lemuroid .
Lemuridous Le·mu"ri·dous (le*mū"rĭ*dŭs),
Lem"u*rine (lĕm"u*rĭn or *rīn)
adjective (Zoology) Lemuroid.
Lemuroid Lem"u·roid (lĕm"u*roid)
adjective [
Lemur +
-oid .]
(Zoology) Like or pertaining to the lemurs or the Lemuroidea. --
noun One of the Lemuroidea.
Lemuroidea Lem`u·roi"de·a (lĕm`u*roi"de*ȧ)
noun plural [ New Latin See
Lemur , and
-oid .]
(Zoology) A suborder of primates, including the lemurs, the aye-aye, and allied species. [ Written also
Lemuroida .]
Lena Le"na (lē"nȧ)
noun [ Latin ]
A procuress. J. Webster.
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