Lepre Lep"re (lĕp"ẽr) noun Leprosy. [ Obsolete] Wyclif.

Leprose Lep"rose` (lĕp"rōs`) adjective [ See Leprous .] (Nat. Hist.) Covered with thin, scurfy scales.

Leprosity Le·pros"i·ty (le*prŏs"ĭ*tȳ) noun The state or quality of being leprous or scaly; also, a scale. Bacon.

Leprosy Lep"ro·sy (lĕp"ro*sȳ) noun [ See Leprous .] (Medicine) A cutaneous disease which first appears as blebs or as reddish, shining, slightly prominent spots, with spreading edges. These are often followed by an eruption of dark or yellowish prominent nodules, frequently producing great deformity. In one variety of the disease, anæsthesia of the skin is a prominent symptom. In addition there may be wasting of the muscles, falling out of the hair and nails, and distortion of the hands and feet with destruction of the bones and joints. It is incurable, and is probably contagious. » The disease now called leprosy, also designated as Lepra or Lepra Arabum , and Elephantiasis Græcorum , is not the same as the leprosy of the ancients. The latter was, indeed, a generic name for many varieties of skin disease (including our modern leprosy, psoriasis, etc.), some of which, among the Hebrews, rendered a person ceremonially unclean. A variety of leprosy of the Hebrews (probably identical with modern leprosy) was characterized by the presence of smooth, shining, depressed white patches or scales, the hair on which participated in the whiteness, while the skin and adjacent flesh became insensible. It was an incurable disease.

Leprous Lep"rous (-rūs) adjective [ Old French leprous , lepros , French lépreux , from Latin leprosus , from lepra , leprae , leprosy. See Leper .] 1. Infected with leprosy; pertaining to or resembling leprosy. "His hand was leprous as snow." Ex. iv. 6. 2. (Nat. Hist.) Leprose. -- Lep"rous*ly , adverb -- Lep"rous*ness , noun

Lepry Lep"ry (-rȳ) noun Leprosy. [ Obsolete] Holland.

Leptiform Lep"ti·form (-tĭ*fôrm) adjective [ Leptus + -form .] (Zoology) Having a form somewhat like leptus; -- said of active insect larvæ having three pairs of legs. See Larva .

Leptocardia Lep`to·car"di·a (lĕp`to*kär"dĭ*ȧ) noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek lepto`s small + kardi`a the heart.] (Zoology) The lowest class of Vertebrata, including only the Amphioxus. The heart is represented only by a simple pulsating vessel. The blood is colorless; the brain, renal organs, and limbs are wanting, and the backbone is represented only by a simple, unsegmented notochord. See Amphioxus . [ Written also Leptocardii .]

Leptocardian Lep`to·car"di·an (- a n) adjective (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the Leptocardia . -- noun One of the Leptocardia.

Leptodactyl Lep`to·dac"tyl (-dăk"tĭl) noun [ Greek lepto`s small, thin + da`ktylos finger, toe.] (Zoology) A bird or other animal having slender toes. [ Written also lepodactyle .]

Leptodactylous Lep`to·dac"tyl·ous (-ŭs) adjective Having slender toes.

Leptology Lep·tol"o·gy (lĕp*tŏl"o*jȳ) noun [ Greek leptologi`a ; lepto`s small, subtile + lo`gos discourse.] A minute and tedious discourse on trifling things.

Leptomeningitis Lep`to·men`in·gi"tis (lĕp`to*mĕn`ĭn*jī"tĭs) noun [ New Latin , from Greek lepto`s small + meningitis .] (Medicine) Inflammation of the pia mater or of the arachnoid membrane.

Leptorhine Lep"to·rhine (lĕp"to*rīn or *rĭn) adjective [ Greek lepto`s small + "ri`s , "rino`s , the nose.] (Anat.) Having the nose narrow; -- said esp. of the skull. Opposed to platyrhine .

Leptostraca Lep·tos"tra·ca (lĕp*tŏs"trȧ*kȧ) noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek lepto`s thin, slender + 'o`strakon shell of a testacean.] (Zoology) An order of Crustacea, including Nebalia and allied forms.

Leptothrix Lep"to·thrix (lĕp"to*thrĭks) noun [ New Latin , from Greek lepto`s small + qri`x hair.] (Biol.) A genus of bacteria, characterized by having their filaments very long, slender, and indistinctly articulated.

Leptothrix Lep"to·thrix adjective [ See Leptothrix , noun ] (Biol.) Having the form of a little chain; -- applied to bacteria when, as in multiplication by fission, they form a chain of filiform individuals.

Leptus Lep"tus (lĕp"tŭs) noun [ New Latin , from Greek lepto`s thin, small.] (Zoology) The six-legged young, or larva, of certain mites; -- sometimes used as a generic name. See Harvest mite , under Harvest .

Leptynite Lep"ty·nite (lĕp"tĭ*nīt) noun (Min.) See Granulite .

Lere Lere (lēr) noun [ See Lore knowledge.] Learning; lesson; lore. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Lere Lere transitive verb & i. [ Middle English leeren , leren , Anglo-Saxon lǣran . See Lore , Learn .] To learn; to teach. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Lere Lere adjective Empty. [ Obsolete] See Leer , adjective

Lere Lere noun [ Anglo-Saxon lira flesh; confer Icelandic lær thigh.] Flesh; skin. [ Obsolete] "His white leer ." Chaucer.

Lered Ler"ed (lēr"ĕd) adjective [ From lere , transitive verb ] Learned. [ Obsolete] " Lewed man or lered ." Chaucer.

Lernean Ler·ne"an (lẽr*nē" a n) noun [ See Lernæa .] (Zoology) One of a family ( Lernæidæ ) of parasitic Crustacea found attached to fishes and other marine animals. Some species penetrate the skin and flesh with the elongated head, and feed on the viscera. See Illust. in Appendix.

Lernæa Ler·næ"a (lẽr*nē"ȧ) noun [ New Latin , from Latin Lernaeus Lernæan, from Lerna , Greek Le`rnh , a forest and marsh near Argos, the mythological abode of the hydra.] (Zoology) A Linnæan genus of parasitic Entomostraca, -- the same as the family Lernæidæ . » The genus is restricted by modern zoölogists to a limited number of species similar to Lernæa branchialis found on the gills of the cod.

Lernæacea Ler`næ·a"ce·a (lẽr`ne*ā"she*ȧ) noun plural [ New Latin See Lernæa .] (Zoology) A suborder of copepod Crustacea, including a large number of remarkable forms, mostly parasitic on fishes. The young, however, are active and swim freely. See Illustration in Appendix.

Lérot Lé`rot" (la`ro") noun [ French] (Zoology) A small European rodent ( Eliomys nitela ), allied to the dormouse.

Les Les (lĕs) noun A leash. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Lesbian Les"bi·an (lĕs"bĭ* a n) adjective Of or pertaining to the island anciently called Lesbos , now Mitylene, in the Grecian Archipelago.

Lesbian Les"bi·an adjective Amatory; erotic; -- in allusion to the reputed sensuality of the Lesbian people and literature; as, Lesbian novels.

Lesbian love Lesbian love See Lesbianism .

Lesbianism Les"bi·an·ism noun (Medicine) Unnatural sexual relations between women.

Lese Lese (lēz) transitive verb To lose. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Lese-majesty Lese`-maj"es·ty (-măj"ĕs*tȳ) noun See Leze majesty .

Lesion Le"sion (lē"zhŭn) noun [ French lésion , Latin laesio , from laedere , laesum , to hurt, injure.] A hurt; an injury. Specifically: (a) (Civil Law) Loss sustained from failure to fulfill a bargain or contract. Burrill. (b) (Medicine) Any morbid change in the exercise of functions or the texture of organs. Dunglison.

Less Less (lĕs) conj. Unless. [ Obsolete] B. Jonson.

Less Less adjective [ Middle English lesse , Anglo-Saxon lǣssa ; akin to OFries. lēssa ; a compar. from a lost positive form. Confer Lesser , Lest , Least . Less has the sense of the comparative degree of little .] Smaller; not so large or great; not so much; shorter; inferior; as, a less quantity or number; a horse of less size or value; in less time than before. » The substantive which less qualifies is often omitted; as, the purse contained less (money) than ten dollars. See Less , noun

Thus in less [ time] than a hundred years from the coming of Augustine, all England became Christian.

E. A. Freeman.

Less Less adverb [ Anglo-Saxon lǣs . See Less , adj. , and confer Lest .] Not so much; in a smaller or lower degree; as, less bright or loud; less beautiful.

Less Less noun 1. A smaller portion or quantity.

The children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less .

Ex. xvi. 17. 2. The inferior, younger, or smaller.

The less is blessed of the better.

Hebrew vii. 7.

Less Less transitive verb To make less; to lessen. [ Obsolete] Gower.

Lessee Les·see" (lĕs*sē") noun [ French laissé , past participle of laisser . See Lease , transitive verb ] (Law) The person to whom a lease is given, or who takes an estate by lease. Blackstone.

Lessen Less"en (lĕs"'n) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Lessened (-'nd); present participle & verbal noun Lessening .] [ From Less , adjective ] To make less; to reduce; to make smaller, or fewer; to diminish; to lower; to degrade; as, to lessen a kingdom, or a population; to lessen speed, rank, fortune.

Charity . . . shall lessen his punishment.

Calamy.

St. Paul chose to magnify his office when ill men conspired to lessen it.

Atterbury. Syn. -- To diminish; reduce; abate; decrease; lower; impair; weaken; degrade.

Lessen Less"en intransitive verb To become less; to shrink; to contract; to decrease; to be diminished; as, the apparent magnitude of objects lessens as we recede from them; his care, or his wealth, lessened .

The objection lessens much, and comes to no more than this: there was one witness of no good reputation.

Atterbury.

Lessener Less"en·er (-ẽr) noun One who, or that which, lessens.

His wife . . . is the lessener of his pain, and the augmenter of his pleasure.

J. Rogers (1839).

Lesser Less"er (-ẽr) adjective [ This word is formed by adding anew the compar. suffix -er (in which r is from an original s ) to less . See Less , adjective ] Less; smaller; inferior.

God made . . . the lesser light to rule the night.

Gen. i. 15. » Lesser is used for less , now the compar. of little , in certain special instances in which its employment has become established by custom; as, Lesser Asia (i. e., Asia Minor), the lesser light, and some others; also in poetry, for the sake of the meter, and in prose where its use renders the passage more euphonious.

The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.

Shak.

The larger here, and there the lesser lambs.

Pope.

By the same reason may a man, in the state of nature, punish the lesser breaches of the law.

Locke.

Lesser Less"er adverb Less. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Lesses Les"ses (lĕs"sĕz) noun plural [ French laissées , from laisser to leave. See Lease , transitive verb ] The leavings or dung of beasts.

Lesson Les"son (lĕs"s'n) noun [ Middle English lessoun , French leçon lesson, reading, from Latin lectio a reading, from legere to read, collect. See Legend , and confer Lection .] 1. Anything read or recited to a teacher by a pupil or learner; something, as a portion of a book, assigned to a pupil to be studied or learned at one time. 2. That which is learned or taught by an express effort; instruction derived from precept, experience, observation, or deduction; a precept; a doctrine; as, to take or give a lesson in drawing. " A smooth and pleasing lesson ." Milton.

Emprinteth well this lesson in your mind.

Chaucer. 3. A portion of Scripture read in divine service for instruction; as, here endeth the first lesson . 4. A severe lecture; reproof; rebuke; warning.

She would give her a lesson for walking so late.

Sir. P. Sidney. 5. (Mus.) An exercise; a composition serving an educational purpose; a study.

Lesson Les"son transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Lessoned (-s'nd); present participle & verbal noun Lessoning .] To teach; to instruct. Shak.

To rest the weary, and to soothe the sad,
Doth lesson happier men, and shame at least the bad.

Byron.