| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| lab | verb i. | To prate; to gossip; to babble; to blab., A telltale; a prater; a blabber. |
| lac | noun | Alt. of Lakh, A resinous substance produced mainly on the banyan tree, but to some extent on other trees, by the Coccus lacca, a scale-shaped insect, the female of which fixes herself on the bark, and exudes from the margin of her body this resinous substance. |
| lad | p. p. of Lead, to guide., A boy; a youth; a stripling., A companion; a comrade; a mate. | |
| lag | adjective | Coming tardily after or behind; slow; tardy., Last; long-delayed; — obsolete, except in the phrase lag end., Last made; hence, made of refuse; inferior., One who lags; that which comes in last., The fag-end; the rump; hence, the lowest class., The amount of retardation of anything, as of a valve in a steam engine, in opening or closing., A stave of a cask, drum, etc.; especially (Mach.), 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., See Graylag., To walk or more slowly; to stay or fall behind; to linger or loiter., To cause to lag; to slacken., To cover, as the cylinder of a steam engine, with lags. See Lag, n., 4., One transported for a crime., To transport for crime. |
| lam | verb t. | To beat soundly; to thrash. |
| lap | noun | The loose part of a coat; the lower part of a garment that plays loosely; a skirt; an apron., An edge; a border; a hem, as of cloth., The part of the clothing that lies on the knees or thighs when one sits down; that part of the person thus covered; figuratively, a place of rearing and fostering; as, to be reared in the lap of luxury., That part of any substance or fixture which extends over, or lies upon, or by the side of, a part of another; as, the lap of a board; also, the measure of such extension over or upon another thing., The amount by which a slide valve at its half stroke overlaps a port in the seat, being equal to the distance the valve must move from its mid stroke position in order to begin to open the port. Used alone, lap refers to outside lap. See Outside lap (below)., The state or condition of being in part extended over or by the side of something else; or the extent of the overlapping; as, the second boat got a lap of half its length on the leader., One circuit around a race track, esp. when the distance is a small fraction of a mile; as, to run twenty laps; to win by three laps. See Lap, to fold, 2., In card playing and other games, the points won in excess of the number necessary to complete a game; — so called when they are counted in the score of the following game., A sheet, layer, or bat, of cotton fiber prepared for the carding machine., A piece of brass, lead, or other soft metal, used to hold a cutting or polishing powder in cutting glass, gems, and the like, or in polishing cutlery, etc. It is usually in the form of wheel or disk, which revolves on a vertical axis., To rest or recline in a lap, or as in a lap., To cut or polish with a lap, as glass, gems, cutlery, etc. See 1st Lap, 10., To fold; to bend and lay over or on something; as, to lap a piece of cloth., To wrap or wind around something., To infold; to hold as in one’s lap; to cherish., To lay or place over anything so as to partly or wholly cover it; as, to lap one shingle over another; to lay together one partly over another; as, to lap weather-boards; also, to be partly over, or by the side of (something); as, the hinder boat lapped the foremost one., To lay together one over another, as fleeces or slivers for further working., To be turned or folded; to lie partly upon or by the side of something, or of one another; as, the cloth laps back; the boats lap; the edges lap., To take up drink or food with the tongue; to drink or feed by licking up something., To make a sound like that produced by taking up drink with the tongue., To take into the mouth with the tongue; to lick up with a quick motion of the tongue., The act of lapping with, or as with, the tongue; as, to take anything into the mouth with a lap., The sound of lapping. |
| lar | noun | A tutelary deity; a deceased ancestor regarded as a protector of the family. The domestic Lares were the tutelar deities of a house; household gods. Hence, Eng.: Hearth or dwelling house., A species of gibbon (Hylobates lar), found in Burmah. Called also white-handed gibbon. |
| las | noun | A lace. See Lace., Less. |
| lat | verb t. | To let; to allow. |
| law | noun | In general, a rule of being or of conduct, established by an authority able to enforce its will; a controlling regulation; the mode or order according to which an agent or a power acts., In morals: The will of God as the rule for the disposition and conduct of all responsible beings toward him and toward each other; a rule of living, conformable to righteousness; the rule of action as obligatory on the conscience or moral nature., The Jewish or Mosaic code, and that part of Scripture where it is written, in distinction from the gospel; hence, also, the Old Testament., An organic rule, as a constitution or charter, establishing and defining the conditions of the existence of a state or other organized community., Any edict, decree, order, ordinance, statute, resolution, judicial, decision, usage, etc., or recognized, and enforced, by the controlling authority., In philosophy and physics: A rule of being, operation, or change, so certain and constant that it is conceived of as imposed by the will of God or by some controlling authority; as, the law of gravitation; the laws of motion; the law heredity; the laws of thought; the laws of cause and effect; law of self-preservation., In matematics: The rule according to which anything, as the change of value of a variable, or the value of the terms of a series, proceeds; mode or order of sequence., In arts, works, games, etc.: The rules of construction, or of procedure, conforming to the conditions of success; a principle, maxim; or usage; as, the laws of poetry, of architecture, of courtesy, or of whist., Collectively, the whole body of rules relating to one subject, or emanating from one source; — including usually the writings pertaining to them, and judicial proceedings under them; as, divine law; English law; Roman law; the law of real property; insurance law., Legal science; jurisprudence; the principles of equity; applied justice., Trial by the laws of the land; judicial remedy; litigation; as, to go law., An oath, as in the presence of a court., Same as Lawe, v. t., An exclamation of mild surprise. |
| lax | verb t. | Not tense, firm, or rigid; loose; slack; as, a lax bandage; lax fiber., Not strict or stringent; not exact; loose; weak; vague; equivocal., Having a looseness of the bowels; diarrheal., A looseness; diarrhea. |
| lay | imp. | of Lie, to recline., Of or pertaining to the laity, as distinct from the clergy; as, a lay person; a lay preacher; a lay brother., Not educated or cultivated; ignorant., Not belonging to, or emanating from, a particular profession; unprofessional; as, a lay opinion regarding the nature of a disease., The laity; the common people., A meadow. See Lea., Faith; creed; religious profession., A law., An obligation; a vow., A song; a simple lyrical poem; a ballad., A melody; any musical utterance., To cause to lie down, to be prostrate, or to lie against something; to put or set down; to deposit; as, to lay a book on the table; to lay a body in the grave; a shower lays the dust., To place in position; to establish firmly; to arrange with regularity; to dispose in ranks or tiers; as, to lay a corner stone; to lay bricks in a wall; to lay the covers on a table., To prepare; to make ready; to contrive; to provide; as, to lay a snare, an ambush, or a plan., To spread on a surface; as, to lay plaster or paint., To cause to be still; to calm; to allay; to suppress; to exorcise, as an evil spirit., To cause to lie dead or dying., To deposit, as a wager; to stake; to risk., To bring forth and deposit; as, to lay eggs., To apply; to put., To impose, as a burden, suffering, or punishment; to assess, as a tax; as, to lay a tax on land., To impute; to charge; to allege., To impose, as a command or a duty; as, to lay commands on one., To present or offer; as, to lay an indictment in a particular county; to lay a scheme before one., To state; to allege; as, to lay the venue., To point; to aim; as, to lay a gun., To put the strands of (a rope, a cable, etc.) in their proper places and twist or unite them; as, to lay a cable or rope., To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone., To place (new type) properly in the cases., To produce and deposit eggs., To take a position; to come or go; as, to lay forward; to lay aloft., To lay a wager; to bet., That which lies or is laid or is conceived of as having been laid or placed in its position; a row; a stratum; a layer; as, a lay of stone or wood., A wager., A job, price, or profit., A share of the proceeds or profits of an enterprise; as, when a man ships for a whaling voyage, he agrees for a certain lay., A measure of yarn; a lea. See 1st Lea (a)., The lathe of a loom. See Lathe, 3., A plan; a scheme., of Lie |
| lea | noun | A measure of yarn; for linen, 300 yards; for cotton, 120 yards; a lay., A set of warp threads carried by a loop of the heddle., A meadow or sward land; a grassy field. |
| led | imp. & past participle | of Lead, of Lead. |
| lee | verb i. | To lie; to speak falsely., That which settles at the bottom, as of a cask of liquor (esp. wine); sediment; dregs; — used now only in the plural., A sheltered place; esp., a place protected from the wind by some object; the side sheltered from the wind; shelter; protection; as, the lee of a mountain, an island, or a ship., That part of the hemisphere, as one stands on shipboard, toward which the wind blows. See Lee, a., Of or pertaining to the part or side opposite to that against which the wind blows; — opposed to weather; as, the lee side or lee rail of a vessel. |
| leg | noun | A limb or member of an animal used for supporting the body, and in running, climbing, and swimming; esp., that part of the limb between the knee and foot., That which resembles a leg in form or use; especially, any long and slender support on which any object rests; as, the leg of a table; the leg of a pair of compasses or dividers., The part of any article of clothing which covers the leg; as, the leg of a stocking or of a pair of trousers., A bow, esp. in the phrase to make a leg; probably from drawing the leg backward in bowing., A disreputable sporting character; a blackleg., The course and distance made by a vessel on one tack or between tacks., An extension of the boiler downward, in the form of a narrow space between vertical plates, sometimes nearly surrounding the furnace and ash pit, and serving to support the boiler; — called also water leg., The case containing the lower part of the belt which carries the buckets., A fielder whose position is on the outside, a little in rear of the batter., To use as a leg, with it as object, To bow., To run. |
| leo | noun | The Lion, the fifth sign of the zodiac, marked thus [/] in almanacs., A northern constellation east of Cancer, containing the bright star Regulus at the end of the handle of the Sickle. |
| lep | obs. strong imp. | of Leap. Leaped. |
| les | noun | A leash. |
| let | verb t. | To retard; to hinder; to impede; to oppose., A retarding; hindrance; obstacle; impediment; delay; — common in the phrase without let or hindrance, but elsewhere archaic., A stroke in which a ball touches the top of the net in passing over., of Let, To leave; to relinquish; to abandon., To consider; to think; to esteem., To cause; to make; — used with the infinitive in the active form but in the passive sense; as, let make, i. e., cause to be made; let bring, i. e., cause to be brought., To permit; to allow; to suffer; — either affirmatively, by positive act, or negatively, by neglecting to restrain or prevent., To allow to be used or occupied for a compensation; to lease; to rent; to hire out; — often with out; as, to let a farm; to let a house; to let out horses., To give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or contract; — often with out; as, to let the building of a bridge; to let out the lathing and the plastering., To forbear., To be let or leased; as, the farm lets for $500 a year. See note under Let, v. t. |
| lew | adjective | Lukewarm; tepid. |
| lex | noun | Law; as, lex talionis, the law of retaliation; lex terrae, the law of the land; lex fori, the law of the forum or court; lex loci, the law of the place; lex mercatoria, the law or custom of merchants. |
| ley | verb t. & i. | To lay; to wager., Law., See Lye., Grass or meadow land; a lea., Fallow; unseeded. |
| lib | verb t. | To castrate. |
| lid | noun | That which covers the opening of a vessel or box, etc.; a movable cover; as, the lid of a chest or trunk., The cover of the eye; an eyelid., The cover of the spore cases of mosses., A calyx which separates from the flower, and falls off in a single piece, as in the Australian Eucalypti., The top of an ovary which opens transversely, as in the fruit of the purslane and the tree which yields Brazil nuts. |
| lie | noun | See Lye., A falsehood uttered or acted for the purpose of deception; an intentional violation of truth; an untruth spoken with the intention to deceive., A fiction; a fable; an untruth., Anything which misleads or disappoints., To utter falsehood with an intention to deceive; to say or do that which is intended to deceive another, when he a right to know the truth, or when morality requires a just representation., To rest extended on the ground, a bed, or any support; to be, or to put one’s self, in an horizontal position, or nearly so; to be prostate; to be stretched out; — often with down, when predicated of living creatures; as, the book lies on the table; the snow lies on the roof; he lies in his coffin., To be situated; to occupy a certain place; as, Ireland lies west of England; the meadows lie along the river; the ship lay in port., To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition; as, to lie waste; to lie fallow; to lie open; to lie hid; to lie grieving; to lie under one’s displeasure; to lie at the mercy of the waves; the paper does not lie smooth on the wall., To be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist; — with in., To lodge; to sleep., To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest., To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained., The position or way in which anything lies; the lay, as of land or country. |
| lif | noun | The fiber by which the petioles of the date palm are bound together, from which various kinds of cordage are made. |
| lig | verb i. | To recline; to lie still. |
| lit | of Light, of Light, a form of the imp. & p. p. of Light. | |
| lim | noun | A limb. |
| lin | verb i. | To yield; to stop; to cease., To cease from., A pool or collection of water, particularly one above or below a fall of water., A waterfall, or cataract; as, a roaring lin., A steep ravine. |
| lip | noun | One of the two fleshy folds which surround the orifice of the mouth in man and many other animals. In man the lips are organs of speech essential to certain articulations. Hence, by a figure they denote the mouth, or all the organs of speech, and sometimes speech itself., An edge of an opening; a thin projecting part of anything; a kind of short open spout; as, the lip of a vessel., The sharp cutting edge on the end of an auger., One of the two opposite divisions of a labiate corolla., The odd and peculiar petal in the Orchis family. See Orchidaceous., One of the edges of the aperture of a univalve shell., To touch with the lips; to put the lips to; hence, to kiss., To utter; to speak., To clip; to trim. |
| lob | noun | A dull, heavy person., Something thick and heavy., To let fall heavily or lazily., See Cob, v. t., The European pollock. |
| log | noun | A Hebrew measure of liquids, containing 2.37 gills., A bulky piece of wood which has not been shaped by hewing or sawing., An apparatus for measuring the rate of a ship’s motion through the water., Hence: The record of the rate of ship’s speed or of her daily progress; also, the full nautical record of a ship’s cruise or voyage; a log slate; a log book., A record and tabulated statement of the work done by an engine, as of a steamship, of the coal consumed, and of other items relating to the performance of machinery during a given time., A weight or block near the free end of a hoisting rope to prevent it from being drawn through the sheave., To enter in a ship’s log book; as, to log the miles run., To engage in the business of cutting or transporting logs for timber; to get out logs., To move to and fro; to rock. |
| lok | noun | Alt. of Loki |
| loo | noun | An old game played with five, or three, cards dealt to each player from a full pack. When five cards are used the highest card is the knave of clubs or (if so agreed upon) the knave of trumps; — formerly called lanterloo., A modification of the game of “all fours” in which the players replenish their hands after each round by drawing each a card from the pack., To beat in the game of loo by winning every trick. |
| lop | noun | A flea., To cut off as the top or extreme part of anything; to sho/ — by cutting off the extremities; to cut off, or remove as superfluous parts; as, to lop a tree or its branches., To cut partly off and bend down; as, to lop bushes in a hedge., That which is lopped from anything, as branches from a tree., To hang downward; to be pendent; to lean to one side., To let hang down; as, to lop the head., Hanging down; as, lop ears; — used also in compound adjectives; as, lopeared; lopsided. |
| los | noun | Praise. See Loos. |
| lot | noun | That which happens without human design or forethought; chance; accident; hazard; fortune; fate., Anything (as a die, pebble, ball, or slip of paper) used in determining a question by chance, or without man’s choice or will; as, to cast or draw lots., The part, or fate, which falls to one, as it were, by chance, or without his planning., A separate portion; a number of things taken collectively; as, a lot of stationery; — colloquially, sometimes of people; as, a sorry lot; a bad lot., A distinct portion or plot of land, usually smaller than a field; as, a building lot in a city., A large quantity or number; a great deal; as, to spend a lot of money; lots of people think so., A prize in a lottery., To allot; to sort; to portion. |
| low | strong imp. of Laugh., To make the calling sound of cows and other bovine animals; to moo., The calling sound ordinarily made by cows and other bovine animals., A hill; a mound; a grave., Fire; a flame; a light., To burn; to blaze., Occupying an inferior position or place; not high or elevated; depressed in comparison with something else; as, low ground; a low flight., Not rising to the usual height; as, a man of low stature; a low fence., Near the horizon; as, the sun is low at four o’clock in winter, and six in summer., Sunk to the farthest ebb of the tide; as, low tide., Beneath the usual or remunerative rate or amount, or the ordinary value; moderate; cheap; as, the low price of corn; low wages., Not loud; as, a low voice; a low sound., Depressed in the scale of sounds; grave; as, a low pitch; a low note., Made, as a vowel, with a low position of part of the tongue in relation to the palate; as, / (/m), / (all). See Guide to Pronunciation, // 5, 10, 11., Near, or not very distant from, the equator; as, in the low northern latitudes., Numerically small; as, a low number., Wanting strength or animation; depressed; dejected; as, low spirits; low in spirits., Depressed in condition; humble in rank; as, men of low condition; the lower classes., Mean; vulgar; base; dishonorable; as, a person of low mind; a low trick or stratagem., Not elevated or sublime; not exalted or diction; as, a low comparison., Submissive; humble., Deficient in vital energy; feeble; weak; as, a low pulse; made low by sickness., Moderate; not intense; not inflammatory; as, low heat; a low temperature; a low fever., Smaller than is reasonable or probable; as, a low estimate., Not rich, high seasoned, or nourishing; plain; simple; as, a low diet., The lowest trump, usually the deuce; the lowest trump dealt or drawn., In a low position or manner; not aloft; not on high; near the ground., Under the usual price; at a moderate price; cheaply; as, he sold his wheat low., In a low mean condition; humbly; meanly., In time approaching our own., With a low voice or sound; not loudly; gently; as, to speak low., With a low musical pitch or tone., In subjection, poverty, or disgrace; as, to be brought low by oppression, by want, or by vice., In a path near the equator, so that the declination is small, or near the horizon, so that the altitude is small; — said of the heavenly bodies with reference to the diurnal revolution; as, the moon runs low, that is, is comparatively near the horizon when on or near the meridian., To depress; to lower. | |
| loy | noun | A long, narrow spade for stony lands. |
| lug | noun | The ear, or its lobe., That which projects like an ear, esp. that by which anything is supported, carried, or grasped, or to which a support is fastened; an ear; as, the lugs of a kettle; the lugs of a founder’s flask; the lug (handle) of a jug., A projecting piece to which anything, as a rod, is attached, or against which anything, as a wedge or key, bears, or through which a bolt passes, etc., The leather loop or ear by which a shaft is held up., The lugworm., To pull with force; to haul; to drag along; to carry with difficulty, as something heavy or cumbersome., To move slowly and heavily., The act of lugging; as, a hard lug; that which is lugged; as, the pack is a heavy lug., Anything which moves slowly., A rod or pole., A measure of length, being 16/ feet; a rod, pole, or perch. |
| lum | noun | A chimney., A ventilating chimney over the shaft of a mine., A woody valley; also, a deep pool. |
| lux | verb t. | To put out of joint; to luxate. |
| luz | noun | A bone of the human body which was supposed by certain Rabbinical writers to be indestructible. Its location was a matter of dispute. |
| lye | noun | A strong caustic alkaline solution of potassium salts, obtained by leaching wood ashes. It is much used in making soap, etc., A short side line, connected with the main line; a turn-out; a siding., A falsehood. |
| lym | noun | Alt. of Lymhound |
| lyn | noun | A waterfall. See Lin. |