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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
You are here: Webster > Letter L > Page 7 of 74.
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Lagopous La·go"pous adjective [ Greek ... a hare + ..., ..., foot.] (Botany) Having a dense covering of long hair, like the foot of a hare.

Lagthing Lag"thing noun [ Norw. lagting , lagthing ; lag company, society (akin to English law , lay ) + ting , thing , parliament. See Thing .] See Legislatature , below.

Lagune La·gune" noun See Lagoon .

Laic La"ic noun A layman. Bp. Morton.

Laic, Laical La"ic, La"ic·al adjective [ Latin laicus : confer French laďque . See Lay laic.] Of or pertaining to a layman or the laity. " Laical literature." Lowell.

An unprincipled, unedified, and laic rabble.
Milton.

Laicality La"ic·al"i·ty noun The state or quality of being laic; the state or condition of a layman.

Laically La"ic·al·ly adverb As a layman; after the manner of a layman; as, to treat a matter laically .

Laid Laid imperfect & past participle of Lay .

Laid paper , paper marked with parallel lines or water marks, as if ribbed, from parallel wires in the mold. It is called blue laid , cream laid , etc., according to its color.

Laidly Laid"ly adjective Ugly; loathsome. [ Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

This laidly and loathsome worm.
W. Howitt.

Lain Lain past participle of Lie , intransitive verb

Lainere Lain"ere noun See Lanier . [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Lair Lair (lâr) noun [ Middle English leir , Anglo-Saxon leger ; akin to Dutch leger , German lager couch, lair, Old High German legar , Goth. ligrs , and to English lie . See Lie to be prostrate, and confer Layer , Leaguer .]

1. A place in which to lie or rest; especially, the bed or couch of a wild beast.

2. A burying place. [ Scot.] Jamieson.

3. A pasture; sometimes, food. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Laird Laird (lârd) noun [ See Lord .] A lord; a landholder, esp. one who holds land directly of the crown. [ Scot.]

Lairdship Laird"ship noun The state of being a laird; an estate; landed property. [ Scot.] Ramsay.

Laism La"ism noun See Lamaism . [ R.]

Laissez faire Lais`sez" faire" [ French, let alone.] Noninterference; -- an axiom of some political economists, deprecating interference of government by attempts to foster or regulate commerce, manufactures, etc., by bounty or by restriction; as, the doctrine of laissez faire ; the laissez faire system of government.

Laity La"i·ty (lā"ĭ*tȳ) noun [ See Lay , adjective ] 1. The people, as distinguished from the clergy; the body of the people not in orders.

A rising up of the laity against the sacerdotal caste.
Macaulay.

2. The state of a layman. [ Obsolete] Ayliffe.

3. Those who are not of a certain profession, as law or medicine, in distinction from those belonging to it.

Lakao La·ka"o noun Sap green. [ China]

Lake Lake (lāk) noun [ French laque , from Persian See Lac .] A pigment formed by combining some coloring matter, usually by precipitation, with a metallic oxide or earth, esp. with aluminium hydrate; as, madder lake ; Florentine lake ; yellow lake , etc.

Lake Lake noun [ Confer German laken .] A kind of fine white linen, formerly in use. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Lake Lake (lāk) intransitive verb [ Anglo-Saxon lācan , lćcan , to spring, jump, lāc play, sport, or from Icelandic leika to play, sport; both akin to Goth. laikan to dance. √120. Confer Knowledge .] To play; to sport. [ Prov. Eng.]

Lake Lake noun [ Anglo-Saxon lac , Latin lacus ; akin to Anglo-Saxon lagu lake, sea, Icelandic lögr ; OIr. loch ; confer Greek la`kkos pond, tank. Confer Loch , Lough .] A large body of water contained in a depression of the earth's surface, and supplied from the drainage of a more or less extended area.

» Lakes are for the most part of fresh water; the salt lakes, like the Great Salt Lake of Utah, have usually no outlet to the ocean.

Lake dwellers (Ethnol.) , people of a prehistoric race, or races, which inhabited different parts of Europe. Their dwellings were built on piles in lakes, a short distance from the shore. Their relics are common in the lakes of Switzerland. -- Lake dwellings (Archćol.) , dwellings built over a lake, sometimes on piles, and sometimes on rude foundations kept in place by piles; specifically, such dwellings of prehistoric times. Lake dwellings are still used by many savage tribes. Called also lacustrine dwellings . See Crannog . -- Lake fly (Zoology) , any one of numerous species of dipterous flies of the genus Chironomus . In form they resemble mosquitoes, but they do not bite. The larvć live in lakes. -- Lake herring (Zoology) , the cisco ( Coregonus Artedii ). -- Lake poets , Lake school , a collective name originally applied in contempt, but now in honor, to Southey, Coleridge, and Wordsworth, who lived in the lake country of Cumberland, England, Lamb and a few others were classed with these by hostile critics. Called also lakers and lakists . -- Lake sturgeon (Zoology) , a sturgeon ( Acipenser rubicundus ), of moderate size, found in the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. It is used as food. -- Lake trout (Zoology) , any one of several species of trout and salmon; in Europe, esp. Salmo fario ; in the United States, esp. Salvelinus namaycush of the Great Lakes, and of various lakes in New York, Eastern Maine, and Canada. A large variety of brook trout ( S. fontinalis ), inhabiting many lakes in New England, is also called lake trout . See Namaycush . -- Lake whitefish . (Zoology) See Whitefish . -- Lake whiting (Zoology) , an American whitefish ( Coregonus Labradoricus ), found in many lakes in the Northern United States and Canada. It is more slender than the common whitefish.

Lake-dweller Lake"-dwell`er noun See Lake dwellers , under Lake .

Lakelet Lake"let noun A little lake. Southey.

Laker Lak"er noun One that is connected with a lake or lakes, as in habitation, toil, etc.: (a) One of the poets of the Lake school. See Lake poets , under Lake , noun (b) (Zoology) A fish living in, or taken from, a lake, esp. the namaycush. (c) A lake steamer or canal boat.

The bridge tender . . . thought the Cowies "a little mite" longer than that laker .
The Century.

Lakeweed Lake"weed` noun (Botany) The water pepper ( Polygonum Hydropiper ), an aquatic plant of Europe and North America.

Lakh Lakh noun Same as Lac , one hundred thousand.

Lakin La"kin noun See Ladykin .

Lakke Lak"ke noun & v. See Lack . [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Laky Lak"y adjective Pertaining to a lake. Sir W. Scott.

Laky Lak"y adjective [ From Lake the pigment.] Transparent; -- said of blood rendered transparent by the action of some solvent agent on the red blood corpuscles.

Lallation Lal·la"tion noun [ Latin lallare to sing lalla, or lullaby: confer French lallation .] An imperfect enunciation of the letter r , in which it sounds like l .

Lalo La"lo noun The powdered leaves of the baobab tree, used by the Africans to mix in their soup, as the southern negroes use powdered sassafras. Confer Couscous .

Lam Lam transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Lammed ; present participle & verbal noun Lamming .] [ Icelandic lemja to beat, or lama to bruise, both from lami , lama , lame. See Lame .] To beat soundly; to thrash. [ Obsolete or Low] Beau. & Fl.

Lama La"ma noun (Zoology) See Llama .

Lama La"ma noun [ Thibet. blama (pronounced lä"ma) a chief, a high priest.] In Thibet, Mongolia, etc., a priest or monk of the belief called Lamaism.

The Grand Lama , or Dalai Lama [ lit., Ocean Lama], the supreme pontiff in the lamaistic hierarchy. See Lamaism .

Lamaic La"ma·ic adjective Of or pertaining to Lamaism.

Lamaism La"ma·ism noun A modified form of Buddhism which prevails in Thibet, Mongolia, and some adjacent parts of Asia; -- so called from the name of its priests. See 2d Lama .

Lamaist, Lamaite La"ma·ist, La"ma·ite noun One who believes in Lamaism.

Lamaistic La`ma·is"tic adjective Of or pertaining to Lamaism.

Lamantin La·man"tin noun [ French lamantin , lamentin , probably from the name of the animal in the Antilles. Confer Manater .] (Zoology) The manatee. [ Written also lamentin , and lamantine .]

Lamarckian La·marck"i·an adjective Pertaining to, or involved in, the doctrines of Lamarckianism.

Lamarckianism La·marck"i·an·ism noun (Biol.) Lamarckism.

Lamarckism La"marck"ism noun [ From Lamarck , a distinguished French naturalist.] (Biol.) The theory that structural variations, characteristic of species and genera, are produced in animals and plants by the direct influence of physical environments, and esp., in the case of animals, by effort, or by use or disuse of certain organs.

Lamasery La"ma·ser·y noun [ See 2d Lama .] A monastery or convent of lamas, in Thibet, Mongolia, etc.

Lamb Lamb (lăm) noun [ Anglo-Saxon lamb ; akin to D. & Danish lam , G. & Swedish lamm , Old Saxon , Goth., & Icelandic lamb .] 1. (Zoology) The young of the sheep.

2. Any person who is as innocent or gentle as a lamb.

3. A simple, unsophisticated person; in the cant of the Stock Exchange, one who ignorantly speculates and is victimized.

Lamb of God , The Lamb (Script.) , the Jesus Christ, in allusion to the paschal lamb.

The twelve apostles of the Lamb .
Rev. xxi. 14.

Behold the Lamb of God , which taketh away the sin of the world.
John i. 29.

-- Lamb's lettuce (Botany) , an annual plant with small obovate leaves ( Valerianella olitoria ), often used as a salad; corn salad. [ Written also lamb lettuce .] -- Lamb's tongue , a carpenter's plane with a deep narrow bit, for making curved grooves. Knight. -- Lamb's wool . (a) The wool of a lamb. (b) Ale mixed with the pulp of roasted apples; -- probably from the resemblance of the pulp of roasted apples to lamb's wool . [ Obsolete] Goldsmith.

Lamb Lamb intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Lambed ; present participle & verbal noun Lambing .] To bring forth a lamb or lambs, as sheep.

Lamb's-quarters Lamb's-quar"ters noun (Botany) A name given to several plants of the Goosefoot family, sometimes used as pot herbs, as Chenopodium album and Atriplex patulsa .

Lambale Lamb"ale` noun A feast at the time of shearing lambs.

Lambaste Lam·baste" transitive verb [ Lam + baste to beat.] To beat severely. [ Low] Nares.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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