Select a letter for some words
Labefaction
The act of labefying or making weak; the state of being weakened; decay; ruin.
Labialization
The modification of an articulation by contraction of the lip opening.
Lability
Liability to lapse, err, or apostatize.
Labipalpus
One of the labial palpi of an insect. See under .
Laburnine
A poisonous alkaloid found in the unripe seeds of the laburnum.
Lactation
The secretion and yielding of milk by the mammary gland; giving suck.
Lactim
One of a series of anhydrides resembling the lactams, but of an imido type; . Cf. .
Lactodensimeter
A form of hydrometer, specially graduated, for finding the density of milk, and thus discovering whether it has been mixed with water or some of the cream has been removed.
Lady's laces
A slender climbing plant; dodder.
Lagan
See .
Lain
of ,
Lam
To beat soundly; to thrash.
Lamellicornia
A group of lamellicorn, plant-eating beetles; -- called also .
Lamelliform
Thin and flat; scalelike; lamellar.
Laminary
Laminar.
Lancet
A surgical knife-like instrument of various forms, commonly sharp-pointed and two-edged, used in venesection, and in opening abscesses, etc.
Larder
A room or place where meat and other articles of food are kept before they are cooked.
Largifical
Generous; ample; liberal.
Laryngeal
Of or pertaining to the larynx; adapted to operations on the larynx; .
lase
To give off a beam of coherent light; -- of a laser.
lateen-rigged
rigged with a triangular (lateen sail).
Latimer
An interpreter.
Latinise
Same as .
Lauric acid
a white, crystalline substance, , resembling palmitic acid, and obtained from the fruit of the bay tree, and various other vegetable sources. The sodium salt () is used as a detergent.
Laxly
In a lax manner.
LDL
, a lipoprotein that transports cholesterol in the blood; high levels are thought to be associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis; sometimes called informally .
Leachy
Permitting liquids to pass by percolation; not capable of retaining water; porous; pervious; -- said of gravelly or sandy soils, and the like.
Lead
The act of leading or conducting; guidance; direction;
Leasow
A pasture.
Lee
That which settles at the bottom, as of a cask of liquor (esp. wine); sediment; dregs; -- used now only in the plural.
Leer
To look with a leer; to look askance with a suggestive expression, as of hatred, contempt, lust, etc.; to cast a sidelong lustful or malign look.
left brain
The left cerebral hemisphere of the brain; in humans, it controls motor activity on the right side of the body, and in most people is the primary location for control of language, logic, and mathematical thought.
Legibleness
The state or quality of being legible.
Legitimism
The principles or plans of legitimists.
Lentamente
Slowly; in slow time.
Lepismoid
Like or pertaining to the Lepisma.
Leptoptilus
A genus of birds including the adjutant bird (, also called adjutant stork) and marabous.
Lesion
A hurt; an injury.
Lest
To listen.
Leve
To live.
Lewdster
A lewd person.
Lherzolite
An igneous rock consisting largely of chrysolite, with pyroxene and picotite (a variety of spinel containing chromium).
Liberian
A native or inhabitant of Liberia.
Libertine
A manumitted slave; a freedman; also, the son of a freedman.
Licheniform
Having the form of a lichen.
Lichenologist
One versed in lichenology.
Likewise
In like manner; also; moreover; too. See .
Lilium
The type genus of the .
Linener
A dealer in linen; a linen draper.
liquefied
converted to a liquid; .
Listing
The act or process of one who lists (in any sense of the verb);
Living picture
A tableau in which persons take part; also, specif., such a tableau as imitating a work of art.
Log-chip
A thin, flat piece of board in the form of a quadrant of a circle attached to the log line; -- called also . See 2d , , 2.
Logogriph
A sort of riddle in which it is required to discover a chosen word from various combinations of its letters, or of some of its letters, which form other words; -- thus, to discover the chosen word form , , , , , etc.
Logomachy
Contention in words merely, or a contention about words; a war of words.
Loll
To let hang from the mouth, as the tongue.
Lollop
To move heavily; to lounge or idle; to loll.
long-dated
of a gilt-edged security: having more than 15 years to run before redemption.
long-drawn-out
relatively long in duration; .
Long-winded
Long-breathed; hence, tediously long in speaking; consuming much time; .
Loob
The clay or slimes washed from tin ore in dressing.
Looker
One who looks.
Lop
Hanging down; ; -- used also in compound adjectives;
Lordship
The state or condition of being a lord; hence (with or ), a title applied to a lord (except an archbishop or duke, who is called ) or a judge (in Great Britain), etc.
Loricata
A suborder of edentates, covered with bony plates, including the armadillos.
lovebird
A small Australian parakeet () usually light green with black and yellow markings in the wild but bred in many colors; also called the .
Loveful
Full of love.
Low-pressure
Having, employing, or exerting, a low degree of pressure.
Lucern
A leguminous plant (), having bluish purple cloverlike flowers, cultivated for fodder; -- called also .
Lumbosacral
Of or pertaining to the loins and sacrum; .
Luminant
Luminous.
Lumpy
Full of lumps, or small compact masses; .
Luscinia
A genus of birds including the nightingale .
Lymphadenitis
Inflammation of the lymphatic glands; -- called also .