Lenard rays Le·nard" rays (Physics.) Rays emanating from the outer surface of a plate composed of any material permeable by cathode rays, as aluminium, which forms a portion of a wall of a vacuum tube, or which is mounted within the tube and exposed to radiation from the cathode. Lenard rays are similar in all their known properties to cathode rays. So called from the German physicist Philipp Lenard (b. 1862), who first described them.
Lenard tube Lenard tube (Electricity) A tube for producing Lenard rays.
Lend Lend (lĕnd)
transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Lent (lĕnt);
present participle & verbal noun Lending .] [ Middle English
lenen , Anglo-Saxon
lǣnan , from
lǣn loan; akin to German
lehnen to lend. See
Loan .]
1. To allow the custody and use of, on condition of the return of the same; to grant the temporary use of; as, to lend a book; -- opposed to borrow . Give me that ring.
I'll lend it thee, my dear, but have no power
To give it from me.
Shak. 2. To allow the possession and use of, on condition of the return of an equivalent in kind; as, to lend money or some article of food. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.
Levit. xxv. 37. 3. To afford; to grant or furnish in general; as, to lend assistance; to lend one's name or influence. Cato, lend me for a while thy patience.
Addison. Mountain lines and distant horizons lend space and largeness to his compositions.
J. A. Symonds. 4. To let for hire or compensation; as, to lend a horse or gig. » This use of the word is rare in the United States, except with reference to money.
To lend a hand ,
to give assistance; to help. [ Colloq.] --
To lend an ear or one's ears ,
to give attention.
Lendable Lend"a·ble (-ȧ*b'l)
adjective Such as can be lent. Sherwood.
Lender Lend"er (-ẽr)
noun One who lends. The borrower is servant to the lender .
Prov. xxii. 7.
Lendes Lend"es (lĕnd"ĕz)
noun plural See Lends . [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Lending Lend"ing noun 1. The act of one who lends. 2. That which is lent or furnished.
Lends Lends (lĕndz)
noun plural [ Anglo-Saxon
lend ,
lenden ; akin to D. & German
lende , Old High German
lenti , Icelandic
lend , and perh to English
loin .]
Loins. [ Obsolete]
Wyclif.
Lene Lene (lēn)
transitive verb [ See
Lend .]
To lend; to grant; to permit. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Lene Le"ne (lē"ne)
adjective [ Latin
lenis smooth.]
(Phonetics) (a) Smooth; as, the lene breathing. (b) Applied to certain mute consonants, as p , k , and t (or Greek π, κ, τ). W. E. Jelf.
Lene Le"ne noun (Phonetics) (a) The smooth breathing (spiritus lenis). (b) Any one of the lene consonants, as p , k , or t (or Greek π, κ, τ). W. E. Jelf.
Lenger Leng"er (lĕng"ẽr),
Leng"est adjective Longer; longest; -- obsolete compar. and superl. of long . Chaucer.
Length Length (lĕngth)
noun [ Middle English
lengthe , Anglo-Saxon
lengð , from
lang ,
long , long; akin to Dutch
lengte , Danish
længde , Swedish
längd , Icelandic
lengd . See
Long ,
adjective ]
1. The longest, or longer, dimension of any object, in distinction from breadth or width ; extent of anything from end to end; the longest line which can be drawn through a body, parallel to its sides; as, the length of a church, or of a ship; the length of a rope or line. 2. A portion of space or of time considered as measured by its length; -- often in the plural. Large lengths of seas and shores.
Shak. The future but a length behind the past.
Dryden. 3. The quality or state of being long, in space or time; extent; duration; as, some sea birds are remarkable for the length of their wings; he was tired by the length of the sermon, and the length of his walk. 4. A single piece or subdivision of a series, or of a number of long pieces which may be connected together; as, a length of pipe; a length of fence. 5. Detail or amplification; unfolding; continuance as, to pursue a subject to a great length . May Heaven, great monarch, still augment your bliss
With length of days, and every day like this.
Dryden. 6. Distance. [ Obsolete]
He had marched to the length of Exeter.
Clarendon. At length .
(a) At or in the full extent; without abbreviation; as, let the name be inserted at length . (b) At the end or conclusion; after a long period. See Syn. of At last , under Last . --
At arm's length .
See under Arm .
Length Length transitive verb To lengthen. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Lengthen Length"en (-'n)
transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Lengthened (-'nd);
present participle & verbal noun Lengthening (-'n*ĭng).]
To extent in length; to make longer in extent or duration; as, to lengthen a line or a road; to lengthen life; -- sometimes followed by out . What if I please to lengthen out his date.
Dryden.
Lengthen Length"en intransitive verb To become longer. Locke.
Lengthful Length"ful (-ful)
adjective Long. [ Obsolete]
Pope.
Lengthily Length"i·ly (-ĭ*lȳ)
adverb In a lengthy manner; at great length or extent.
Lengthiness Length"i·ness noun The state or quality of being lengthy; prolixity.
Lengthways Length"ways` (-wāz`),
Length"wise` (- wīz`)
adverb In the direction of the length; in a longitudinal direction.
Lengthy Length"y (-ȳ)
adjective [
Compar. Lengthier (-ĭ*ẽr);
superl. Lengthiest .]
Having length; rather long or too long; prolix; not brief; -- said chiefly of discourses, writings, and the like. "
Lengthy periods."
Washington. "Some
lengthy additions."
Byron. "These would be details too
lengthy ."
Jefferson. "To cut short
lengthy explanations."
Trench.
Lenience Le"ni·ence (lē"nĭ*
e ns or lēn"y
e ns; 106),
Le"ni*en*cy (lē"nĭ*
e n*sȳ or lēn"y
e n*sȳ)
noun The quality or state of being lenient; lenity; clemency.
Lenient Le"ni·ent (lē"nĭ*
e nt or lēn"y
e nt)
adjective [ Latin
leniens ,
- entis , present participle of
lenire to soften, from
lenis soft, mild. Confer
Lithe .]
1. Relaxing; emollient; softening; assuasive; -- sometimes followed by of . "
Lenient of grief."
Milton. Of relax the fibers, are lenient , balsamic.
Arbuthnot. Time, that on all things lays his lenient hand.
Pope. 2. Mild; clement; merciful; not rigorous or severe; as, a lenient disposition; a lenient judge or sentence.
Lenient Le"ni·ent noun (Medicine) A lenitive; an emollient.
Leniently Le"ni·ent·ly adverb In a lenient manner.
Lenify Len"i·fy (lĕn"ĭ*fī)
transitive verb [ Latin
lenis soft, mild +
-fy : confer French
lénifier .]
To assuage; to soften; to mitigate; to alleviate. Bacon. Dryden.
Leniment Len"i·ment (-m
e nt)
noun [ Latin
lenimentum : confer Old French
leniment . See
Lenient .]
An assuasive. [ Obsolete]
Lenitive Len"i·tive (-tĭv)
adjective [ Confer French
lénitif . See
Lenient .]
Having the quality of softening or mitigating, as pain or acrimony; assuasive; emollient.
Lenitive Len"i·tive noun [ Confer French
lénitif .]
1. (Medicine) (a) A medicine or application that has the quality of easing pain or protecting from the action of irritants. (b) A mild purgative; a laxative. 2. That which softens or mitigates; that which tends to allay passion, excitement, or pain; a palliative. There is one sweet lenitive at least for evils, which Nature holds out; so I took it kindly at her hands, and fell asleep.
Sterne.
Lenitiveness Len"i·tive·ness noun The quality of being lenitive.
Lenitude Len"i·tude (-tūd)
noun [ Latin
lenitudo .]
The quality or habit of being lenient; lenity. [ Obsolete]
Blount.
Lenity Len"i·ty (-tȳ)
noun [ Latin
lenitas , from
lenis soft, mild: confer Old French
lenité . See
Lenient .]
The state or quality of being lenient; mildness of temper or disposition; gentleness of treatment; softness; tenderness; clemency; -- opposed to severity and rigor . His exceeding lenity disposes us to be somewhat too severe.
Macaulay. Syn. -- Gentleness; kindness; tenderness; softness; humanity; clemency; mercy.
Lenni-Lenape Len`ni-Len·a"pe (lĕn`nĭ- lĕn*ä"pa)
noun plural (Ethnol.) A general name for a group of Algonquin tribes which formerly occupied the coast region of North America from Connecticut to Virginia. They included the Mohicans, Delawares, Shawnees, and several other tribes.
Leno Le"no (lē"no)
noun [ Confer Italian
leno weak, flexible.]
A light open cotton fabric used for window curtains.
Lenocinant Le·noc"i·nant (le*nŏs"ĭ*n
a nt)
adjective [ Latin
lenocinans , present participle of
lenocinari to pander, cajole; akin to
leno pimp.]
Given to lewdness. [ Obsolete]
Lens Lens (lĕnz)
noun ;
plural Lenses (-ĕz). [ Latin
lens a lentil. So named from the resemblance in shape of a double convex lens to the seed of a lentil. Confer
Lentil .]
(Opt.) A piece of glass, or other transparent substance, ground with two opposite regular surfaces, either both curved, or one curved and the other plane, and commonly used, either singly or combined, in optical instruments, for changing the direction of rays of light, and thus magnifying objects, or otherwise modifying vision. In practice, the curved surfaces are usually spherical, though rarely cylindrical, or of some other figure.
Lent Lent (lĕnt),
imperfect & past participle of Lend .
Lent Lent noun [ Middle English
lente ,
lenten ,
leynte , Anglo-Saxon
lengten ,
lencten , spring, lent, akin to Dutch
lente , Old High German
lenzin ,
langiz , German
lenz , and perhaps from Anglo-Saxon
lang long, English
long , because at this season of the year the days lengthen.]
(Eccl.) A fast of forty days, beginning with Ash Wednesday and continuing till Easter, observed by some Christian churches as commemorative of the fast of our Savior. Lent lily (Botany) ,
the daffodil; -- so named from its blossoming in spring.
Lent Lent adjective [ Latin
lentus ; akin to
lenis soft, mild: confer French
lent . See
Lenient .]
1. Slow; mild; gentle; as, lenter heats. [ Obsolete]
B. Jonson. 2. (Mus.) See Lento .
Lentamente Len`ta·men"te (lan`tȧ*man"ta; E. lĕn`tȧ*mĕn"te)
adverb [ Italian ]
(Mus.) Slowly; in slow time.
Lentando Len·tan"do (lan*tän"do; E. lĕn*tăn"do)
adjective [ Italian , present participle of
lentare to make slow. See
Lent ,
adjective ]
(Mus.) Slackening; retarding. Same as Rallentando .
Lenten Lent"en (lĕnt"'n)
noun Lent. [ Obsolete]
Piers Plowman.
Lenten Lent"en adjective [ From Middle English
lenten lent. See
Lent ,
noun ]
1. Of or pertaining to the fast called Lent; used in, or suitable to, Lent; as, the Lenten season. She quenched her fury at the flood,
And with a Lenten salad cooled her blood.
Dryden. 2. Spare; meager; plain; somber; unostentatious; not abundant or showy. "
Lenten entertainment." "
Lenten answer."
Shak. "
Lenten suit."
Beau. & Fl. Lenten color ,
black or violet. F. G. Lee.
Lententide Lent"en·tide` (-tīd`)
noun The season of Lenten or Lent.
Lenticel Len"ti·cel (lĕn"tĭ*sĕl)
noun [ French
lenticelle , dim. from Latin
lens ,
lentis , a lentil. Confer
Lentil .]
(Botany) (a) One of the small, oval, rounded spots upon the stem or branch of a plant, from which the underlying tissues may protrude or roots may issue, either in the air, or more commonly when the stem or branch is covered with water or earth. (b) A small, lens-shaped gland on the under side of some leaves.
Lenticellate Len`ti·cel"late (lĕn`tĭ*sĕl"lat)
adjective (Botany) Producing lenticels; dotted with lenticels.
Lenticelle Len`ti·celle" (lĕn`tĭ*sĕl")
noun [ French]
(Botany) Lenticel.
Lenticula Len·tic"u·la (lĕn*tĭk"u*lȧ)
noun ;
plural English
Lenticulas (- lȧz), Latin
Lenticulæ (-lē). [ Latin See
Lenticel .]
1. (Medicine) A kind of eruption upon the skin; lentigo; freckle. 2. (Opt.) A lens of small size. 3. (Botany) A lenticel.
Lenticular Len·tic"u·lar (-lẽr)
adjective [ Latin
lenticularis : confer French
lenticulaire . See
Lenticel .]
Resembling a lentil in size or form; having the form of a double-convex lens.
Lenticularly Len·tic"u·lar·ly adverb In the manner of a lens; with a curve.
Use the search box below if you want to search in Websters only, use the search box at the right to search all of Enyclo.
