Lullaby Lull"a·by noun [ From
Lull ,
transitive verb ]
1. A song to quiet babes or lull them to sleep; that which quiets. Shak. 2. Hence: Good night; good-by. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Luller Lull"er noun One who, or that which, lulls.
Lullingly Lull"ing·ly adverb In a lulling manner; soothingly.
Lum Lum noun [ W.
llumon chimney,
llum that shoots up or ends in a point.]
1. A chimney. [ Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Burns. 2. A ventilating chimney over the shaft of a mine. 3. A woody valley; also, a deep pool. [ Prov. Eng.]
Lumachel Lu"ma·chel Lu`ma*chel"la noun [ French lumachelle , Italian lumachella , from lamachella a little snail, dim. of lumaca a snail, from Latin limax , -acis .] (Min.) A grayish brown limestone, containing fossil shells, which reflect a beautiful play of colors. It is also called fire marble , from its fiery reflections.
Lumbaginous Lum·bag"i·nous adjective Of or pertaining to lumbago.
Lumbago Lum·ba"go noun [ Latin , from
lumbus loin. See
Lumbar .]
(Medicine) A rheumatic pain in the loins and the small of the back.
Lumbar, Lumbal Lum"bar, Lum"bal adjective [ Latin
lumbus loin. See
Loin .]
(Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or near, the loins; as, the lumbar arteries. Lumbar region (Anat.) ,
the region of the loin; specifically, a region between the hypochondriac and iliac regions, and outside of the umbilical region.
Lumber Lum"ber noun [ Prob. from
Lombard , the Lombards being the money lenders and pawnbrokers of the Middle Ages. A
lumber room was, according to Trench, originally a
Lombard room, or room where the Lombard pawnbroker stored his pledges. See
Lombard .]
1. A pawnbroker's shop, or room for storing articles put in pawn; hence, a pledge, or pawn. [ Obsolete]
They put all the little plate they had in the lumber , which is pawning it, till the ships came.
Lady Murray. 2. Old or refuse household stuff; things cumbrous, or bulky and useless, or of small value. 3. Timber sawed or split into the form of beams, joists, boards, planks, staves, hoops, etc.; esp., that which is smaller than heavy timber. [ U.S.]
Lumber kiln ,
a room in which timber or lumber is dried by artificial heat. [ U.S.] --
Lumber room ,
a room in which unused furniture or other lumber is kept. [ U.S.] --
Lumber wagon ,
a heavy rough wagon, without springs, used for general farmwork, etc.
Lumber Lum"ber transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Lumbered ;
present participle & verbal noun Lumbering .]
1. To heap together in disorder. " Stuff
lumbered together."
Rymer. 2. To fill or encumber with lumber; as, to lumber up a room.
Lumber Lum"ber intransitive verb 1. To move heavily, as if burdened. 2. [ Confer dial. Swedish
lomra to resound.]
To make a sound as if moving heavily or clumsily; to rumble. Cowper. 3. To cut logs in the forest, or prepare timber for market. [ U.S.]
Lumber State Lum"ber State Maine; -- a nickname.
Lumberer Lum"ber·er noun One employed in lumbering, cutting, and getting logs from the forest for lumber; a lumberman. [ U.S.]
Lumberers have a notion that he (the woodpecker) is harmful to timber.
Lowell.
Lumbering Lum"ber·ing noun The business of cutting or getting timber or logs from the forest for lumber. [ U.S.]
Lumberman Lum"ber·man noun ;
plural Lumbermen One who is engaged in lumbering as a business or employment. [ U.S.]
Lumbosacral Lum`bo·sa"cral noun [ Latin
lumbus loin + English
sacral .]
(Anat.) Of or pertaining to the loins and sacrum; as, the lumbosacral nerve, a branch of one of the lumber nerves which passes over the sacrum.
Lumbric Lum"bric noun [ Latin
lumbricus .]
(Zoology) An earthworm, or a worm resembling an earthworm.
Lumbrical Lum"bric·al adjective [ Confer French
lombrical . See
Lumbric .]
(Anat.) Resembling a worm; as, the lumbrical muscles of the hands of the hands and feet. --
noun A lumbrical muscle.
Lumbriciform Lum·bric"i·form adjective [ Latin
lumbricus worm +
-form .]
(Zoology) Resembling an earthworm; vermiform.
Lumbricoid Lum"bri·coid adjective [
Lumbricus +
-oid .]
(Zoology) Like an earthworm; belonging to the genus Lumbricus, or family Lumbricidæ .
Lumbricus Lum"bri·cus noun [ Latin See
Lumbric .]
(Zoology) A genus of annelids, belonging to the Oligochæta, and including the common earthworms. See Earthworm .
Lumen Lu"men noun ; plural Latin
Lumina , English
Lumens . [ Latin , light, an opening for light.]
1. (Photom.) (a) A unit of illumination, being the amount of illumination of a unit area of spherical surface, due to a light of unit intensity placed at the center of the sphere. (b) A unit of light flux, being the flux through one square meter of surface the illumination of which is uniform and of unit brightness. 2. (Biol.) An opening, space, or cavity, esp. a tubular cavity; a vacuole.
Luminant Lu"mi·nant adjective Luminous. [ R.]
Luminary Lu"mi·na·ry noun ;
plural Luminaries , [ French
luminaire , Latin
luminare a light or lamp, which was lighted in the churches, a luminary, from
lumen ,
luminis , light, from
lucere to be light, to shine,
lux ,
lucis , light. See
Light .]
1. Any body that gives light, especially one of the heavenly bodies. " Radiant
luminary ."
Skelton. Where the great luminary . . .
Dispenses light from far.
Milton. 2. One who illustrates any subject, or enlightens mankind; as, Newton was a distinguished luminary .
Luminate Lu"mi·nate transitive verb [ Latin
luminatus , past participle of
luminare to illumine, from
lumen light. See
Limn .]
To illuminate. [ Obsolete]
Lumination Lu`mi·na"tion noun Illumination. [ Obsolete]
Lumine Lu"mine intransitive verb To illumine. [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Luminescence Lu`mi·nes"cence noun [ See
Luminescent .]
1. (Physics) Any emission of light not ascribable directly to incandescence, and therefore occurring at low temperatures, as in phosphorescence and fluorescence or other luminous radiation resulting from vital processes, chemical action, friction, solution, or the influence of light or of ultraviolet or cathode rays, etc. 2. (Zoology) (a) The faculty or power of voluntarily producing light, as in the firefly and glowworm. (b) The light thus produced; luminosity; phosphorescence.
Luminescent Lu`mi·nes"cent adjective [ Latin
luminare to illuminate +
-escent .]
(Physics) Shining with a light due to any of the various causes which produce luminescence.
Luminiferous Lu`mi·nif"er·ous adjective [ Latin
lumen light +
-ferous .]
Producing light; yielding light; transmitting light; as, the luminiferous ether.
Luminosity Lu`mi·nos"i·ty noun The quality or state of being luminous; luminousness.
Luminous Lu"mi·nous adjective [ Latin
luminosus , from
lumen light: confer French
lumineux . See
Luminary ,
Illuminate .]
1. Shining; emitting or reflecting light; brilliant; bright; as, the is a luminous body; a luminous color. Fire burneth wood, making it . . . luminous .
Bacon. The mountains lift . . . their lofty and luminous heads.
Longfellow. 2. Illuminated; full of light; bright; as, many candles made the room luminous . Up the staircase moved a luminous space in the darkness.
Longfellow. 3. Enlightened; intelligent; also, clear; intelligible; as, a luminous mind. "
Luminous eloquence."
Macaulay. " A
luminous statement."
Brougham. Luminous paint ,
a paint made up with some phosphorescent substance, as sulphide of calcium, which after exposure to a strong light is luminous in the dark for a time. Syn. -- Lucid; clear; shining; perspicuous. --
Lu"mi*nous*ly ,
adverb --
Lu"mi*nous*ness ,
noun
Lummox Lum"mox noun A fat, ungainly, stupid person; an awkward bungler. [ Low.]
Lump Lump noun [ Confer OD.
lompe piece, mass. Confer
Lunch .]
1. A small mass of matter of irregular shape; an irregular or shapeless mass; as, a lump of coal; a lump of iron ore. " A
lump of cheese."
Piers Plowman. " This
lump of clay."
Shak. 2. A mass or aggregation of things. 3. (Firearms) A projection beneath the breech end of a gun barrel. In the lump ,
In a lump ,
the whole together; in gross. They may buy them in the lump .
Addison. --
Lump coal ,
coal in large lumps; -- the largest size brought from the mine. --
Lump sum ,
a gross sum without a specification of items; as, to award a lump sum in satisfaction of all claims and damages.
Lump Lump intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Lumped ;
present participle & verbal noun Lumping .]
1. To throw into a mass; to unite in a body or sum without distinction of particulars. The expenses ought to be lumped together.
Ayliffe. 2. To take in the gross; to speak of collectively. Not forgetting all others, . . . whom for brevity, but out of no resentment to you, I lump all together.
Sterne. 3. To get along with as one can, although displeased; as, if he does n't like it, he can lump it. [ Low]
Lumper Lump"er noun [ Confer
Lamper eel .]
(Zoology) The European eelpout; -- called also lumpen .
Lumper Lump"er noun 1. One who lumps. 2. A laborer who is employed to load or unload vessels when in harbor.
Lumpfish Lump"fish` noun [ From
Lump , on account of its bulkiness: confer G. & Dutch
lump , French
lompe .]
(Zoology) A large, thick, clumsy, marine fish ( Cyclopterus lumpus ) of Europe and America. The color is usually translucent sea green, sometimes purplish. It has a dorsal row of spiny tubercles, and three rows on each side, but has no scales. The ventral fins unite and form a ventral sucker for adhesion to stones and seaweeds. Called also lumpsucker , cock-paddle , sea owl .
Lumping Lump"ing adjective Bulky; heavy. Arbuthnot.
Lumpish Lump"ish adjective Like a lump; inert; gross; heavy; dull; spiritless. "
Lumpish , heavy, melancholy."
Shak. --
Lump"ish*ly ,
adverb --
Lump"ish*ness ,
noun
Lumpsucker Lump"suck`er noun (Zoology) The lumpfish.
Lumpy Lump"y adjective [
Compar. Lumpier ;
superl. Lumpiest .]
Full of lumps, or small compact masses.
Lumpy-jaw Lump"y-jaw` (Medicine) Actinomycosis. [ Colloq.]
Luna Lu"na noun [ Latin ; akin to
lucere to shine. See
Light ,
noun , and confer
Lune .]
1. The moon. 2. (Alchemy) Silver. Luna cornea (Old Chem.) ,
horn silver, or fused silver chloride, a tough, brown, translucent mass; -- so called from its resemblance to horn. --
Luna moth (Zoology) ,
a very large and beautiful American moth ( Actias luna ). Its wings are delicate light green, with a stripe of purple along the front edge of the anterior wings, the other margins being edged with pale yellow. Each wing has a lunate spot surrounded by rings of light yellow, blue, and black. The caterpillar commonly feeds on the hickory, sassafras, and maple.
Lunacy Lu"na·cy noun ;
plural Lunacies . [ See
Lunatic .]
1. Insanity or madness; properly, the kind of insanity which is broken by intervals of reason, -- formerly supposed to be influenced by the changes of the moon; any form of unsoundness of mind, except idiocy; mental derangement or alienation. Brande. Burrill. Your kindred shuns your house
As beaten hence by your strange lunacy .
Shak. 2. A morbid suspension of good sense or judgment, as through fanaticism. Dr. H. More. Syn. -- Derangement; craziness; mania. See
Insanity .
Lunar Lu"nar (lū"nẽr)
adjective [ Latin
lunaris , from
luna the moon. See
Luna , and confer
Lunary .]
1. Of or pertaining to the moon; as, lunar observations. 2. Resembling the moon; orbed. Dryden. 3. Measured by the revolutions of the moon; as, a lunar month. 4. Influenced by the moon, as in growth, character, or properties; as, lunar herbs. Bacon. Lunar caustic (Med. Chem.) ,
silver nitrate prepared to be used as a cautery; -- so named because silver was called luna by the ancient alchemists. --
Lunar cycle .
Same as Metonic cycle . See under Cycle . --
Lunar distance ,
the angular distance of the moon from the sun, a star, or a planet, employed for determining longitude by the lunar method . - -
Lunar method ,
the method of finding a ship's longitude by comparing the local time of taking (by means of a sextant or circle) a given lunar distance, with the Greenwich time corresponding to the same distance as ascertained from a nautical almanac, the difference of these times being the longitude. --
Lunar month .
See Month . --
Lunar observation ,
an observation of a lunar distance by means of a sextant or circle, with the altitudes of the bodies, and the time, for the purpose of computing the longitude. --
Lunar tables .
(a) (Astron.) Tables of the moon's motions, arranged for computing the moon's true place at any time past or future. (b) (Navigation) Tables for correcting an observed lunar distance on account of refraction and parallax. --
Lunar year ,
the period of twelve lunar months, or 354 days, 8 hours, 48 minutes, and 34.38 seconds.
Lunar Lu"nar noun 1. (Astron.) A lunar distance. 2. (Anat.) The middle bone of the proximal series of the carpus; -- called also semilunar , and intermedium .
Lunarian Lu·na"ri·an noun [ See
Lunar ,
Luna .]
An inhabitant of the moon.
Lunary Lu"na·ry adjective [ Confer French
lunaire . See
Lunar .]
Lunar. [ Obsolete]
Fuller.
Lunary Lu"na·ry noun [ Confer French
lunaire .]
(Botany) (a) The herb moonwort or "honesty". (b) A low fleshy fern ( Botrychium Lunaria ) with lunate segments of the leaf or frond.
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