| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| law-fall | noun | Depression of the jaw; hence, depression of spirits. |
| labadist | noun | A follower of Jean de Labadie, a religious teacher of the 17th century, who left the Roman Catholic Church and taught a kind of mysticism, and the obligation of community of property among Christians. |
| labdanum | noun | See Ladanum. |
| labelled | of Label | |
| labeling | present participle & vb. noun | of Label |
| labellum | noun | The lower or apparently anterior petal of an orchidaceous flower, often of a very curious shape., A small appendage beneath the upper lip or labrum of certain insects. |
| labially | adverb | In a labial manner; with, or by means of, the lips. |
| labiated | adjective | Same as Labiate, a. (a). |
| lability | noun | Liability to lapse, err, or apostatize. |
| laboring | present participle & vb. noun | of Labor, That labors; performing labor; esp., performing coarse, heavy work, not requiring skill also, set apart for labor; as, laboring days., Suffering pain or grief. |
| laborant | noun | A chemist. |
| laborous | adjective | Laborious. |
| labrador | noun | A region of British America on the Atlantic coast, north of Newfoundland. |
| laburnic | adjective | Of, pertaining to, or derived from, the laburnum. |
| laburnum | noun | A small leguminous tree (Cytisus Laburnum), native of the Alps. The plant is reputed to be poisonous, esp. the bark and seeds. It has handsome racemes of yellow blossoms. |
| lacerate | verb t. | To tear; to rend; to separate by tearing; to mangle; as, to lacerate the flesh. Hence: To afflict; to torture; as, to lacerate the heart., Alt. of Lacerated |
| lacertus | noun | A bundle or fascicle of muscular fibers. |
| lacewing | noun | Any one of several species of neuropterous insects of the genus Chrysopa and allied genera. They have delicate, lacelike wings and brilliant eyes. Their larvae are useful in destroying aphids. Called also lace-winged fly, and goldeneyed fly. |
| lacrymal | noun | Alt. of Lacrymal, See Lachrymatory., See Lachrymatory, n., and Lachrymal, a. |
| laciniae | plural | of Lacinia |
| lacinula | noun | A diminutive lacinia. |
| lackaday | interj. | Alack the day; alas; — an expression of sorrow, regret, dissatisfaction, or surprise. |
| lackeyed | imp. & past participle | of Lackey |
| laconian | adjective | Of or pertaining to Laconia, a division of ancient Greece; Spartan., An inhabitant of Laconia; esp., a Spartan. |
| laconism | noun | A vigorous, brief manner of expression; laconic style., An instance of laconic style or expression. |
| laconize | verb i. | To imitate the manner of the Laconians, especially in brief, pithy speech, or in frugality and austerity. |
| lacrosse | noun | A game of ball, originating among the North American Indians, now the popular field sport of Canada, and played also in England and the United States. Each player carries a long-handled racket, called a “crosse”. The ball is not handled but caught with the crosse and carried on it, or tossed from it, the object being to carry it or throw it through one of the goals placed at opposite ends of the field. |
| lactamic | adjective | Pertaining to, or designating, an amido acid related to lactic acid, and called also amido-propionic acid. |
| lacteous | adjective | Milky; resembling milk., Lacteal; conveying chyle; as, lacteous vessels. |
| lactific | adjective | Alt. of Lactifical |
| lactonic | adjective | Of, pertaining to, or derived from, lactone., Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained by the oxidation of milk sugar (lactose). |
| lactucic | adjective | Pertaining to, or derived from, the juice of the Lactuca virosa; — said of certain acids. |
| lactucin | noun | A white, crystalline substance, having a bitter taste and a neutral reaction, and forming one of the essential ingredients of lactucarium. |
| lacunars | plural | of Lacunar |
| lacunose | adjective | Alt. of Lacunous |
| lacunous | adjective | Furrowed or pitted; having shallow cavities or lacunae; as, a lacunose leaf. |
| ladleful | noun | A quantity sufficient to fill a ladle. |
| ladybird | noun | Any one of numerous species of small beetles of the genus Coccinella and allied genera (family Coccinellidae); — called also ladybug, ladyclock, lady cow, lady fly, and lady beetle. Coccinella seplempunctata in one of the common European species. See Coccinella. |
| ladyfish | noun | A large, handsome oceanic fish (Albula vulpes), found both in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; — called also bonefish, grubber, French mullet, and macabe., A labroid fish (Harpe rufa) of Florida and the West Indies. |
| ladyhood | noun | The state or quality of being a lady; the personality of a lady. |
| ladylike | adjective | Like a lady in appearance or manners; well-bred., Becoming or suitable to a lady; as, ladylike manners., Delicate; tender; feeble; effeminate. |
| ladylove | noun | A sweetheart or mistress. |
| ladyship | noun | The rank or position of a lady; — given as a title (preceded by her or your). |
| lagenian | adjective | Like, or pertaining to, Lagena, a genus of Foraminifera having a straight, chambered shell. |
| lagopous | adjective | Having a dense covering of long hair, like the foot of a hare. |
| laically | adverb | As a layman; after the manner of a layman; as, to treat a matter laically. |
| lakeweed | noun | The water pepper (Polygonum Hydropiper), an aquatic plant of Europe and North America. |
| lamantin | noun | The manatee. |
| lamasery | noun | A monastery or convent of lamas, in Thibet, Mongolia, etc. |
| lambaste | verb t. | To beat severely. |
| lambdoid | adjective | Shaped like the Greek letter lambda (/); as, the lambdoid suture between the occipital and parietal bones of the skull. |
| lamblike | adjective | Like a lamb; gentle; meek; inoffensive. |
| lambskin | noun | The skin of a lamb; especially, a skin dressed with the wool on, and used as a mat. Also used adjectively., A kind of woolen. |
| lamellae | plural | of Lamella |
| lamellas | plural | of Lamella |
| lamellar | adjective | Flat and thin; lamelliform; composed of lamellae. |
| lameness | noun | The condition or quality of being lame; as, the lameness of an excuse or an argument. |
| lamented | imp. & past participle | of Lament, Mourned for; bewailed. |
| lamenter | noun | One who laments. |
| lamentin | noun | See Lamantin. |
| laminary | adjective | Laminar. |
| laminate | adjective | Consisting of, or covered with, laminae, or thin plates, scales, or layers, one over another; laminated., To cause to separate into thin plates or layers; to divide into thin plates., To form, as metal, into a thin plate, as by rolling., To separate into laminae. |
| lampless | adjective | Being without a lamp, or without light; hence, being without appreciation; dull. |
| lampreys | plural | of Lamprey |
| lampyris | noun | A genus of coleopterous insects, including the glowworms. |
| lancegay | noun | Alt. of Lancegaye |
| lancelet | noun | A small fishlike animal (Amphioxus lanceolatus), remarkable for the rudimentary condition of its organs. It is the type of the class Leptocardia. See Amphioxus, Leptocardia. |
| lanching | present participle & vb. noun | of Lanch |
| landfall | noun | A sudden transference of property in land by the death of its owner., Sighting or making land when at sea. |
| landlady | noun | A woman having real estate which she leases to a tenant or tenants., The mistress of an inn or lodging house. |
| landless | adjective | Having no property in land. |
| landlock | verb t. | To inclose, or nearly inclose, as a harbor or a vessel, with land. |
| landlord | noun | The lord of a manor, or of land; the owner of land or houses which he leases to a tenant or tenants., The master of an inn or of a lodging house. |
| landmark | noun | A mark to designate the boundary of land; any , mark or fixed object (as a marked tree, a stone, a ditch, or a heap of stones) by which the limits of a farm, a town, or other portion of territory may be known and preserved., Any conspicuous object on land that serves as a guide; some prominent object, as a hill or steeple. |
| landskip | noun | A landscape. |
| landslip | noun | Alt. of Landslide |
| landsmen | plural | of Landsman |
| landsman | noun | One who lives on the land; — opposed to seaman., A sailor on his first voyage. |
| landward | adverb & adjective | Toward the land. |
| landwehr | noun | That part of the army, in Germany and Austria, which has completed the usual military service and is exempt from duty in time of peace, except that it is called out occasionally for drill. |
| langarey | noun | One of numerous species of long-winged, shrikelike birds of Australia and the East Indies, of the genus Artamus, and allied genera; called also wood swallow. |
| langrage | noun | Alt. of Langrel |
| langsyne | adverb & noun | Long since; long ago. |
| language | noun | Any means of conveying or communicating ideas; specifically, human speech; the expression of ideas by the voice; sounds, expressive of thought, articulated by the organs of the throat and mouth., The expression of ideas by writing, or any other instrumentality., The forms of speech, or the methods of expressing ideas, peculiar to a particular nation., The characteristic mode of arranging words, peculiar to an individual speaker or writer; manner of expression; style., The inarticulate sounds by which animals inferior to man express their feelings or their wants., The suggestion, by objects, actions, or conditions, of ideas associated therewith; as, the language of flowers., The vocabulary and phraseology belonging to an art or department of knowledge; as, medical language; the language of chemistry or theology., A race, as distinguished by its speech., To communicate by language; to express in language. |
| languish | verb i. | To become languid or weak; to lose strength or animation; to be or become dull, feeble or spiritless; to pine away; to wither or fade., To assume an expression of weariness or tender grief, appealing for sympathy., To cause to droop or pine., See Languishiment. |
| lanifice | noun | Anything made of wool. |
| lankness | noun | The state or quality of being lank. |
| lanneret | noun m. | A long-tailed falcon (Falco lanarius), of Southern Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa, resembling the American prairie falcon. |
| lantanum | noun | See Lanthanum. |
| lanthorn | noun | See Lantern. |
| lapboard | noun | A board used on the lap as a substitute for a table, as by tailors. |
| lapelled | adjective | Furnished with lapels. |
| lapicide | noun | A stonecutter. |
| lapidary | noun | An artificer who cuts, polishes, and engraves precious stones; hence, a dealer in precious stones., A virtuoso skilled in gems or precious stones; a connoisseur of lapidary work., Of or pertaining to the art of cutting stones, or engraving on stones, either gems or monuments; as, lapidary ornamentation., Of or pertaining to monumental inscriptions; as, lapidary adulation. |
| lapidate | verb t. | To stone. |
| lapidify | verb t. | To convert into stone or stony material; to petrify., To become stone or stony. |
| lapidist | noun | A lapidary. |
| lappeted | imp. & past participle | of Lappet |
| lapponic | adjective | Laplandish; Lappish. |
| lapsable | adjective | Lapsible. |
| lapsible | adjective | Liable to lapse. |
| lapsided | adjective | See Lopsided. |
| lapstone | noun | A stone for the lap, on which shoemakers beat leather. |
| laqueary | adjective | Using a noose, as a gladiator. |
| larboard | noun | The left-hand side of a ship to one on board facing toward the bow; port; — opposed to starboard., On or pertaining to the left-hand side of a vessel; port; as, the larboard quarter. |
| larcener | noun | Alt. of Larcenist |
| larderer | noun | One in charge of the larder. |
| largesse | adjective | Liberality; generosity; bounty., A present; a gift; a bounty bestowed. |
| lariated | imp. & past participle | of Lariat |
| larkspur | noun | A genus of ranunculaceous plants (Delphinium), having showy flowers, and a spurred calyx. They are natives of the North Temperate zone. The commonest larkspur of the gardens is D. Consolida. The flower of the bee larkspur (D. elatum) has two petals bearded with yellow hairs, and looks not unlike a bee. |
| larruped | imp. & past participle | of Larrup |
| larvalia | noun pl. | An order of Tunicata, including Appendicularia, and allied genera; — so called because certain larval features are retained by them through life. Called also Copelata. See Appendicularia. |
| larvated | adjective | Masked; clothed as with a mask. |
| lascious | adjective | Loose; lascivious. |
| lasslorn | Forsaken by a lass. | |
| lassoing | present participle & vb. noun | of Lasso |
| latching | present participle & vb. noun | of Latch, A loop or eye formed on the head rope of a bonnet, by which it is attached to the foot of a sail; — called also latch and lasket. |
| latchkey | noun | A key used to raise, or throw back, the latch of a door, esp. a night latch. |
| lateness | noun | The state, condition, or quality, of being late; as, the lateness of his arrival; the lateness of the hour; the lateness of the season. |
| latently | adverb | In a secret or concealed manner; invisibly. |
| laterite | noun | An argillaceous sandstone, of a red color, and much seamed; — found in India. |
| latewake | noun | See Lich wake, under Lich. |
| lateward | adjective & adverb | Somewhat late; backward. |
| lathered | imp. & past participle | of Lather |
| lathwork | noun | Same as Lathing. |
| latibula | plural | of Latibulum |
| latinism | noun | A Latin idiom; a mode of speech peculiar to Latin; also, a mode of speech in another language, as English, formed on a Latin model. |
| latinist | noun | One skilled in Latin; a Latin scholar. |
| latinity | noun | The Latin tongue, style, or idiom, or the use thereof; specifically, purity of Latin style or idiom. |
| latinize | verb t. | To give Latin terminations or forms to, as to foreign words, in writing Latin., To bring under the power or influence of the Romans or Latins; to affect with the usages of the Latins, especially in speech., To make like the Roman Catholic Church or diffuse its ideas in; as, to Latinize the Church of England., To use words or phrases borrowed from the Latin., To come under the influence of the Romans, or of the Roman Catholic Church. |
| latitant | adjective | Lying hid; concealed; latent. |
| latitude | noun | Extent from side to side, or distance sidewise from a given point or line; breadth; width., Room; space; freedom from confinement or restraint; hence, looseness; laxity; independence., Extent or breadth of signification, application, etc.; extent of deviation from a standard, as truth, style, etc., Extent; size; amplitude; scope., Distance north or south of the equator, measured on a meridian., The angular distance of a heavenly body from the ecliptic. |
| latterly | adverb | Lately; of late; recently; at a later, as distinguished from a former, period. |
| latticed | imp. & past participle | of Lattice |
| laudable | verb i. | Worthy of being lauded; praiseworthy; commendable; as, laudable motives; laudable actions; laudable ambition., Healthy; salubrious; normal; having a disposition to promote healing; not noxious; as, laudable juices of the body; laudable pus. |
| laudably | adverb | In a laudable manner. |
| laudanum | noun | Tincture of opium, used for various medical purposes. |
| laudator | noun | One who lauds., An arbitrator. |
| laughing | present participle & vb. noun | of Laugh, from Laugh, v. i. |
| laughter | verb i. | A movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the face, particularly of the lips, with a peculiar expression of the eyes, indicating merriment, satisfaction, or derision, and usually attended by a sonorous and interrupted expulsion of air from the lungs. See Laugh, v. i. |
| launched | imp. & past participle | of Launch |
| laureate | adjective | Crowned, or decked, with laurel., One crowned with laurel; a poet laureate., To honor with a wreath of laurel, as formerly was done in bestowing a degree at the English universities. |
| laureled | adjective | Crowned with laurel, or with a laurel wreath; laureate. |
| laurinol | noun | Ordinary camphor; — so called in allusion to the family name (Lauraceae) of the camphor trees. See Camphor. |
| lavation | noun | A washing or cleansing. |
| lavatory | adjective | Washing, or cleansing by washing., A place for washing., A basin or other vessel for washing in., A wash or lotion for a diseased part., A place where gold is obtained by washing. |
| lavature | noun | A wash or lotion. |
| lavement | noun | A washing or bathing; also, a clyster. |
| lavender | noun | An aromatic plant of the genus Lavandula (L. vera), common in the south of Europe. It yields and oil used in medicine and perfumery. The Spike lavender (L. Spica) yields a coarser oil (oil of spike), used in the arts., The pale, purplish color of lavender flowers, paler and more delicate than lilac. |
| laverock | noun | The lark. |
| lavished | imp. & past participle | of Lavish |
| lavisher | noun | One who lavishes. |
| lavishly | adverb | In a lavish manner. |
| lav/sium | noun | A supposed new metallic element. It is said to have been discovered in pyrites, and some other minerals, and to be of a silver-white color, and malleable. |
| lawgiver | noun | One who makes or enacts a law or system of laws; a legislator. |
| lawmaker | noun | A legislator; a lawgiver. |
| lawsonia | noun | An Asiatic and North African shrub (Lawsonia inermis), with smooth oval leaves, and fragrant white flowers. Henna is prepared from the leaves and twigs. In England the shrub is called Egyptian privet, and in the West Indies, Jamaica mignonette. |
| lawyerly | adjective | Like, or becoming, a lawyer; as, lawyerlike sagacity. |
| laxation | noun | The act of loosening or slackening, or the state of being loosened or slackened. |
| laxative | adjective | Having a tendency to loosen or relax., Having the effect of loosening or opening the intestines, and relieving from constipation; — opposed to astringent., A laxative medicine. See the Note under Cathartic. |
| layering | noun | A propagating by layers. |
| laystall | noun | A place where rubbish, dung, etc., are laid or deposited., A place where milch cows are kept, or cattle on the way to market are lodged. |
| lazarist | noun | Alt. of Lazarite |
| lazarite | noun | One of the Congregation of the Priests of the Mission, a religious institute founded by Vincent de Paul in 1624, and popularly called Lazarists or Lazarites from the College of St. Lazare in Paris, which was occupied by them until 1792. |
| lazaroni | noun pl. | See Lazzaroni. |
| laziness | noun | The state or quality of being lazy. |
| lazulite | noun | A mineral of a light indigo-blue color, occurring in small masses, or in monoclinic crystals; blue spar. It is a hydrous phosphate of alumina and magnesia. |
| lazyback | noun | A support for the back, attached to the seat of a carriage. |