Lady's hair La"dy's hair" (Botany) A plant of the genus Briza ( B. media ); a variety of quaking grass.

Lady's laces La"dy's la"ces (Botany) A slender climbing plant; dodder.

Lady's looking-glass La"dy's look"ing-glass` (Botany) See Venus's looking-glass , under Venus .

Lady's mantle La"dy's man"tle (Botany) A genus of rosaceous herbs ( Alchemilla ), esp. the European A. vulgaris , which has leaves with rounded and finely serrated lobes.

Lady's seal La"dy's seal" (Botany) (a) The European Solomon's seal ( Polygonatum verticillatum ). (b) The black bryony ( Tamus communis ).

Lady's slipper La"dy's slip"per (Botany) Any orchidaceous plant of the genus Cypripedium , the labellum of which resembles a slipper. Less commonly, in the United States, the garden balsam ( Impatiens Balsamina ).

Lady's smock La"dy's smock" (Botany) A plant of the genus Cardamine ( C. pratensis ); cuckoo flower.

Lady's thimble La"dy's thim"ble (Botany) The harebell.

Lady's thumb La"dy's thumb" (Botany) An annual weed ( Polygonum Persicaria ), having a lanceolate leaf with a dark spot in the middle.

Lady's traces, Ladies' tresses La"dy's tra"ces, La"dies' tress"es (Botany) A name given to several species of the orchidaceous genus Spiranthes , in which the white flowers are set in spirals about a slender axis and remotely resemble braided hair.

Ladybird La"dy·bird` noun [ Equiv. to, bird of Our Lady.] (Zoology) Any one of numerous species of small beetles of the genus Coccinella and allied genera (family Coccinellidæ ); -- called also ladybug , ladyclock , lady cow , lady fly , and lady beetle . Coccinella seplempunctata in one of the common European species. See Coccinella .

» The ladybirds are usually more or less hemispherical in form, with a smooth, polished surface, and often colored red, brown, or black, with small spots of brighter colors. Both the larvæ and the adult beetles of most species feed on aphids, and for this reason they are very beneficial to agriculture and horticulture.

Ladybug La"dy·bug` noun (Zoology) Same as Ladybird .

Ladyclock La"dy·clock` noun (Zoology) See Ladybird .

Ladyfish La"dy·fish` noun (Zoology) (a) A large, handsome oceanic fish ( Albula vulpes ), found both in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; -- called also bonefish , grubber , French mullet , and macabé . (b) A labroid fish ( Harpe rufa ) of Florida and the West Indies.

Ladyhood La"dy·hood noun The state or quality of being a lady; the personality of a lady.

Ladykin La"dy·kin noun [ Lady + - kin .] A little lady; -- applied by the writers of Queen Elizabeth's time, in the abbreviated form Lakin , to the Virgin Mary.

» The diminutive does not refer to size, but is equivalent to "dear." Brewer.

Ladylike La"dy·like` adjective 1. Like a lady in appearance or manners; well-bred.

She was ladylike , too, after the manner of the feminine gentility of those days.

Hawthorne.

2. Becoming or suitable to a lady; as, ladylike manners. "With fingers ladylike ." Warner.

3. Delicate; tender; feeble; effeminate.

Too ladylike a long fatigue to bear.

Dryden.

Ladylikeness La"dy·like`ness noun The quality or state of being ladylike.

Ladylove La"dy·love` noun A sweetheart or mistress.

Ladyship La"dy·ship noun The rank or position of a lady; -- given as a title (preceded by her or your ).

Your ladyship shall observe their gravity.

B. Jonson.

Laemmergeyer Laem"mer·gey`er noun (Zoology) See Lammergeir .

Lafayette La`fa`yette" noun (Zoology) (a) The dollar fish. (b) A market fish, the goody, or spot ( Liostomus xanthurus ), of the southern coast of the United States.

Laft Laft obsolete past participle of Leave . Chaucer.

Lafte Laf"te obsolete imperfect of Leave . Chaucer.

Lag Lag adjective [ Of Celtic origin: confer Gael. & Ir. lag weak, feeble, faint, W. llag , llac , slack, loose, remiss, sluggish; probably akin to English lax , languid .] 1. Coming tardily after or behind; slow; tardy. [ Obsolete]

Came too lag to see him buried.

Shak.

2. Last; long-delayed; -- obsolete, except in the phrase lag end . "The lag end of my life." Shak.

3. Last made; hence, made of refuse; inferior. [ Obsolete] " Lag souls." Dryden.

Lag Lag noun 1. One who lags; that which comes in last. [ Obsolete] "The lag of all the flock." Pope.

2. The fag-end; the rump; hence, the lowest class.

The common lag of people.

Shak.

3. The amount of retardation of anything, as of a valve in a steam engine, in opening or closing.

4. A stave of a cask, drum, etc.; especially (Machinery) , one of the narrow boards or staves forming the covering of a cylindrical object, as a boiler, or the cylinder of a carding machine or a steam engine.

5. (Zoology) See Graylag .

Lag of the tide , the interval by which the time of high water falls behind the mean time, in the first and third quarters of the moon; -- opposed to priming of the tide, or the acceleration of the time of high water, in the second and fourth quarters; depending on the relative positions of the sun and moon. -- Lag screw , an iron bolt with a square head, a sharp-edged thread, and a sharp point, adapted for screwing into wood; a screw for fastening lags.

Lag Lag intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Lagged ; present participle & verbal noun Lagging .] To walk or more slowly; to stay or fall behind; to linger or loiter. "I shall not lag behind." Milton.

Syn. -- To loiter; linger; saunter; delay; be tardy.

Lag Lag transitive verb 1. To cause to lag; to slacken. [ Obsolete] "To lag his flight." Heywood.

2. (Machinery) To cover, as the cylinder of a steam engine, with lags. See Lag , noun , 4.

Lag Lag noun One transported for a crime. [ Slang, Eng.]

Lag Lag transitive verb To transport for crime. [ Slang, Eng.]

She lags us if we poach.

De Quincey.

Lag Lag noun The failing behind or retardation of one phenomenon with respect to another to which it is closely related; as, the lag of magnetization compared with the magnetizing force (hysteresis); the lag of the current in an alternating circuit behind the impressed electro-motive force which produced it.

Lagan La"gan noun & v. See Ligan .

Lagarto La·gar"to noun [ See Alligator .] An alligator. [ Obsolete] Sir W. Raleigh.

Lagena La·ge"na noun ; plural Latin Lagenæ , English Lagenas . [ Latin , a flask; confer Greek ..., ....] (Anat.) The terminal part of the cochlea in birds and most reptiles; an appendage of the sacculus, corresponding to the cochlea, in fishes and amphibians.

Lagenian La·ge"ni·an adjective [ See Lagena .] (Zoology) Like, or pertaining to, Lagena , a genus of Foraminifera having a straight, chambered shell.

Lageniform La·ge"ni·form adjective [ See Lagena , and -form .] (Botany) Shaped like a bottle or flask; flag-shaped.

Lager La"ger (lä"gẽr) noun Lager beer.

Lager beer La"ger beer` [ German lager bed, storehouse + bier beer. See Lair , and Beer .] Originally a German beer, but now also made in immense quantities in the United States; -- so called from its being laid up or stored for some months before use.

Lager wine La"ger wine` Wine which has been kept for some time in the cellar. Simmonds.

Laggard Lag"gard adjective [ Lag + - ard .] Slow; sluggish; backward.

Laggard Lag"gard noun One who lags; a loiterer.

Lagger Lag"ger noun A laggard.

Lagging Lag"ging noun 1. (Machinery) The clothing (esp., an outer, wooden covering), as of a steam cylinder, applied to prevent the radiation of heat; a covering of lags; -- called also deading and cleading .

2. Lags, collectively; narrow planks extending from one rib to another in the centering of arches.

Laggingly Lag"ging·ly adverb In a lagging manner; loiteringly.

Lagly Lag"ly adverb Laggingly. [ Prov. Eng.]

Lagniappe, Lagnappe La·gniappe, La·gnappe" noun [ Etym. uncertain.] In Louisiana, a trifling present given to customers by tradesmen; a gratuity.

Lagniappe . . .is something thrown in, gratis, for good measure.

Mark Twain.

Lagomorph Lag"o·morph noun (Zoology) One of the Lagomorpha.

Lagomorpha Lag`o·mor"pha noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... a hare + ... form.] (Zoology) A group of rodents, including the hares. They have four incisors in the upper jaw. Called also Duplicidentata .

Lagoon La·goon" noun [ Italian or Spanish laguna , Latin lacuna ditch, pool, pond, lacus lake. See Lake , and confer Lacuna .] [ Written also lagune .] 1. A shallow sound, channel, pond, or lake, especially one into which the sea flows; as, the lagoons of Venice.

2. A lake in a coral island, often occupying a large portion of its area, and usually communicating with the sea. See Atoll .

Lagoon island , a coral island consisting of a narrow reef encircling a lagoon.

Lagophthalmia Lag`oph·thal"mi·a Lag`oph*thal"mos noun [ New Latin lagophtalmia , from Greek lagw`s hare + 'ofqalmo`s eye; -- so called from the notion that a hare sleeps with his eyes open.] (Medicine) A morbid condition in which the eye stands wide open, giving a peculiar staring appearance.

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