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THE

IMPERIAL DICTIONARY

OF THE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

L

de Labadie, who lived in the seventeenth
century. The Labadists held that God can
and does deceive men, that the observance
of the Sabbath is a matter of indifference,
and other peculiar opinions.
Labarri (la-bar'rē), n. Elaps lemniscatus,
a deadly snake of Guiana, which sometimes
reaches the length of 8 feet. It is beauti-
fully coloured when alive, but fades when
dead.

Labarum (lab'a-rum), n. [L. labarum, la-
borum, Gr. labaron, laboron; etym. doubt-

LABIATE

commonly used with a tangent line on the edge of a circumferentor, to take altitudes, &c.-6. A tassel. Fuller.-7. In Goth, arch. a projecting tablet or moulding over doors, windows, &c., called a hood-moulding, and a drip, dripstone, or weather-moulding when it is turned square.-8. A pendant like a broad ribbon hanging from the head-dress and helmet of a knight.

Label (la'bl), v.t. pret. & pp. labelled; ppr. labelling. To affix a label to.

It shall be inventoried, and every particle and utensil labelled. Shak.

to anything. Labellum (la-bellum), n. [L., a little lip.] A term applied in botany to one of the three pieces forming the corolla in orchideous plants. It is often spurred.

ful.] The imperial stan- Labeller (lä'bl-ér), n. One who affixes labels dard adopted by Constantine the Great after his conversion to Christianity, differently described and figured, but generally represented as a pole having a cross-bar with the banner depending from it and bearing the Greek letters XP (that is, Chr), conjoined so as to form a monogram of the name of Christ. The banner was made of silk. The word is sometimes used for any other standard or Labarum.-Medal flag, and its, form may still of Constantine. be recognized in the banners carried in ecclesiasti

L, the twelfth letter of the English alpha- | Labadist (lab'a-dist), n. A follower of Jean
bet, is usually denominated a semi-vowel
or a liquid. It is formed by placing the
tip of the tongue against the gum that in-
closes the roots of the upper teeth, and
allowing the breath to escape by the sides
of the tongue. L has only one sound in
English, as in like, canal. At the end of
monosyllables it is often doubled, as in
fall, full, tell, bell, but not after diph-
thongs and digraphs, as foul, fool, prowl,
growl, foal, &c. The nearest ally of lisr, the
pronunciation of which differs from that of
I only in being accompanied by a vibration
of the tip of the tongue. There is no letter
accordingly with which is more frequently
interchanged, instances of the change of
into rand of r into being both very common
in various languages. In fact in the history
of the Indo-European alphabet is con-
sidered to be a later modification of r. Thus
the Skr. ruch, to shine, corresponds to the
Gr. root luk in leukos, white, L. luc in luceo,
to shine, lux, light, and the root of E. light;
the L. ulmus yields the Fr. orme, and the
L. peregrinus yields the It. pellegrino, Fr.
pelerin, E. pilgrim, L. lavendula, E. laven-
der. So too the Latin adjectival termina-
tions -alis, -aris are the same. There are
whole nations that do not possess one or
other of these sounds, the Japanese, for
example, always using r instead of 1, while
the Chinese use instead of r. L is also
found representing n, as in postern, as well
as the mutes d, t, thus E. tear, Fr. larme,
Gr. dakry, are etymologically the same
words. In A. Sax. 7, like the other liquids
n and r, is often preceded by h, which was
no doubt sounded, as in hlaƒ, loaf; hladan,
to lade or load; hlot, lot; hlinian, hleonian,
to lean. In English words the terminating
syllable le is unaccented, the e is silent, and
I forms itself a syllable, as in able, eagle,
pronounced abl, eagl. In some words 7 is
now mute, as in half, calf, walk, talk, chalk,
yolk, calm; from others it has disappeared
altogether, as from each, such; in hauberk,
auburn, it has become u; in could, syllable,
participle, it has intruded. As an abbre-
viation, in Latin, it stands for Lucius;
L.L.S. for a sesterce, or two libræ and a
half LL D. stands for Legum Doctor,
Doctor of Laws. L is also used for liber,
book, as applied to a division in a work.-
As a numeral L stands for 50.
La (la), exclam. [A. Sax. la, lo! behold!]
Look; see; behold.

La (la) In music, (a) in solmization, the
sixth of the seven syllables-ut or do, re,
mni, fa, sol, la, si-representing the seven
sounds in the diatonic scale. (b) The syl-
lable by which Guido denoted the last sound
of each of his hexachords. If the hexa-
chord begins in C, the la answers to our A;
if in G, to our E; and if in F, to D.
Lab, Labbe, n. [Allied to D. labben, to blab,
to tell tales; to G. labbe, lip, mouth; and
probably to E. blab.] A great talker; a blab-
ber. I am no lab.' Chaucer. [Obsolete
or provincial.]

Lab,t Labbe, tv.i. [See the noun.] To blab;
to prate; to talk thoughtlessly or carelessly.
'A labbing shrew is she.' Chaucer.

cal processions in all Roman Catholic coun-
tries.
Labdanum (lab'da-num). See LADANUM.
Labefaction (lab-e-fak'shon), n. [L. labe-
factio, from labefacio-labo, to totter, and
facio, to make.] A weakening or loosening;
a failing; decay; downfall; ruin.

There is in it such a labefaction of all principles as
may be injurious to mortality.
Boswell.
Labefy † (lab'e-fi), v.t. To weaken or impair.
Label (la'bl), n. [O. Fr. label, lambel,
labeau, a rag, a tatter, a shred: either of
Germanic or of Celtic origin; comp. G.
lappen, a flap, patch, rag, and W. llab, a
strip, llabed, a label; Gael. leab, a shred.]
1. A slip of silk, paper, parchment, or other
material, containing a name, title, address,
or the like, and affixed to anything, indicat-
ing its nature, contents, ownership, destina-
tion, or other particulars.-2. A narrow slip
of parchment or paper, or a ribbon of silk,
affixed to diplomas, deeds, or writings to hold
the appended seal.-3. Any paper annexed to
a will by way of addition, as a codicil.-4. In
her. a fillet with pendants or points, a figure
usually added to coat ar-
mour to mark a distinc-
tion in the arms of the
eldest son during the life
of the father, in which
case it has three points.
A label of five points is
the distinction of the heir
whilst the grandfather
is living; one of seven

points, the difference for Label of three points.
the heir in the lifetime of

his great-grandfather; and so on. The label
is also termed a Lambel, sometimes a File.
5. A long thin brass rule, with a small sight
at one end and a centre-hole at the other,

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L

culata. L, Labellum.

Labent (la'bent), a. [L. labens, labentis, ppr. of labor, to slide.] Sliding; gliding. [Rare.] Flower of Orchis ma- Labia (la'bi-a), n. pl. [From L. labium, a lip.] In anat. the lips. Applied also to the parts of the pudendum exterior to the nymphæ. Labial (la'bi-al), a. [Fr., from L. labium, a lip. See LIP.] 1. Pertaining to the lips. 'A labial gland or vein.' Dunglison. 2. Formed by the lips; owing its special character to the lips; as, a labial articulation, a labial consonant, namely one such as b, p, and m.

Labial (la bi-al), n. A letter or character representing a sound or articulation formed or uttered chiefly by the lips, as b, f, m, p, v, are called labials.

Labially (la'bi-al-li), adv. In a labial manner; by means of the lips.

Labiata (la-bi-ā'tē), n. pl. [See LABIATE.] The mint tribe, a very important and extensive natural order of exogenous plants, with a labiate corolla, and a four-lobed ovary, changing to four seed-like monospermous fruits. This order contains about 2600 species, mostly herbs, undershrubs, or shrubs, rarely arborescent, with opposite or whorled leaves, usually square stems, and a thyrsoid or whorled inflorescence. They are spread throughout the world, being most strongly represented in the Mediterranean and eastern regions, but abounding in all temperate latitudes. Many of the species are valued for their fragrance, as lavender and thyme; others for their stimulating qualities, as mint and peppermint; others as aromatics, as savory, basil, and marjoram; several are used as febrifuges, as the Ocymum febrifugum of Sierra Leone. Rosemary is used in the manufacture of Hungary-water, and its oil is that which gives the green colour to bear's-grease and such pomatums. Betony, ground-ivy, horehound, and others possess bitter tonic qualities. Numerous species are objects of great beauty, as various kinds of sage, Gardoquia, and Dracocephalum. Also called Lamiaceae.

oil, pound; ü, Sc. abune; y, Sc. fey. w, wig; wh, whig; zh, azure.--See KEY

LABIATE

Labiate, Labiated (la'bi-ät, läbi-at-ed), a. [L.L. labiatus, from L. labium, lip.] In bot. a term applied to an irregular gamopetalous corolla, the limb or expanded portion cleft so as to present an upper and lower lip, the upper consisting of two, the lower of three segments. Labiatiflora (la-bi-à-tiflō're), n. pl. [L. L. labiatus, lipped, from L. labium, a lip, and flos, floris, a flower.] In bot.

Labiate Corolla.

a section of the nat. order Compositæ. The flowers are mostly hermaphrodite, and the corolla is divided into two lips. Labile (lab'il), a. [L.L. labilis, apt to slip, from L. labor, to slide, to slip.] Liable to err, fall, or apostatize. [Rare.] Lability (la-bil'i-ti), a. Liability to lapse or err. Coleridge. Labimeter, Labidometer (la-bim'et-ér, lab-i-dom'et-ér), n. [Gr. labis, labidos, a forceps, and metron, a measure.] stetrics, a scale adapted to the handles of the forceps, which indicates the distance of the blades from each other when applied to the head of the child in the womb. Labiodental (là'bi-ō-den-tal), a. [L. labium, a lip, and dens, a tooth.] In phonetics, formed or pronounced by the co-operation of the lips and teeth; as, f and v are labiodental letters.

In ob

Labiodental (lä'bi-ō-den-tal), n. A letter representing a sound pronounced by the co-operation of the lips and teeth. Labi-palpi (la'bi-pal-pi), n. pl. [L. labium, a lip, and palpum, a feeler.] In entom. the labial feelers in insects. Labium (la'bi-um), n. [L., a lip.] A lip; especially, (a) in entom. the lower lip of insects, the upper being called the labrum. (b) In univalve molluscous shells the inner lip of the shell, the outer being called the labrum. Labor (la-bor'), n. A Mexican land measure, equal to 177 acres. Simmonds. Laborantt (lab'o-rant), n. A chemist.

I can show you a sort of fixt sulphur made by an industrious laborant. Boyle. Laboratory (lab'o-ra-to-ri), n. [L. L. labora torium, Fr. laboratoire, from L. labor, labour. See LABOUR.] 1. A building or workshop designed for investigation and experiment in chemistry, physics, pyrotechnics, or the like. 2. A place where work is performed or anything is elaborated or prepared for use; hence, the stomach is called the grand laboratory of the human body; the liver the laboratory of the bile.

Laborious (la-bō'ri-us), a. [L. laboriosus;

Fr. laborieux. See LABOUR.] 1. Requiring labour, exertion, or perseverance; toilsome; tiresome; not easy; as, laborious duties or services.

With what compulsion and laborious flight
We sunk thus low.

Milton.
Dost thou love watchings, abstinence, or toil,
Laborious virtues all? Learn these from Cato.
Addison.

2. Using exertion; employing labour; diligent in work or service; assiduous: used of persons; as, a laborious husbandman or mechanic; a laborious minister or pastor. 'Laborious for her people and her poor.' Tennyson.-SYN. Industrious, painstaking, active, diligent, assiduous, toilsome, difticult, arduous, wearisome, fatiguing, troublesome, tedious.

Laboriously (la-bō'ri-us-li), adv. In a lawith labour, toil, or diffi

borious manner;. culty. Laboriousness (la-bō'ri-us-nes), n. 1. The quality of being laborious or attended with toil; toilsomeness; difficulty.-2. Diligence; assiduity.

Laboriousness shuts the doors and stops all the avenues of the mind.

South.

Labour (la'bėr), n. [Fr. labeur, L. labor, labour.] 1. Exertion, physical or mental, or both undergone in the performance of some task or work; particularly, the exertion of the body in occupations by which subsistence is obtained, as in agriculture and manufactures, in contradistinction to the exertion of strength in play or amusements, which are denominated exercise rather than labour; any kind of exertion which is attended with fatigue; the performance of work; toil; as, after the labours of the day the farmer retires, and rest is sweet; moderate labour contributes to health; the labour of compiling and writing a history.

What is obtained by labour will of right be the property of him by whose labour it is gained.

Rambler.

2

2. Work done or to be done; that which requires wearisome exertion or strong effort; a work.

Being a labeur of so great difficulty, the exact performance thereof we may rather wish than look for. Hooker.

3. Labourers or producers in the aggregate; as, the claims or rights of labour. -4. Travail; the pangs and efforts of childbirth. 5. In Scrip. suffering; trial. Rev. xiv. 13.Laborious labour, in obstetrics, labour which is accompanied with much suffering, and is unusually difficult.-SYN. Work, toil, task, drudgery, exertion, effort.

Labour (la'bér), v. i. 1. To exert muscular strength; to act or move with painful effort, particularly in servile occupations; to work; to toil.

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. Ex. xx. 9. 2. To exert one's powers of body or mind, or both, in the prosecution of any design; to endeavour; to strive; to take pains; as, he laboured to make himself intelligible. Labour not for the meat which perisheth. Jn.avi. 27. Labour to thy power to make thy body go of thy soul's errands. Fer. Taylor.

3. To be burdened; to be oppressed with difficulties; to proceed or act with difficulty.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Mat. xi, 28.

In this sense often with under (formerly sometimes of); as, to labour under à disease. Absolute monarchy labours under the worst of all disadvantages. Brougham.

4. To be in travail; to suffer the pangs of childbirth.-5. Naut. to move irregularly with little progress; to pitch and roll heavily, as a ship in a turbulent sea. SYN. To work, toil, strive, struggle, plod, drudge, slave, suffer. Labour (la'bér), v.t. to cultivate.

1. To work at; to till;

The most excellent lands are lying fallow, or only laboured by children. W. Tooke.

2. To prosecute with effort; to urge; as, to labour a point or argument. -3. To form or fabricate with exertion; as, to labour arms for Troy; a laboured composition.--4.† To beat; to belabour. Labour him with many a sturdy stroke.' Dryden. Laboured (la'bêrd), p. and a. Formed with labour; bearing the marks of constraint and hardness of style: opposed to easy, natural, or spontaneous.

Labourer (la'bèr-ér), n. One who labours in a toilsome occupation; a man who does work that requires little skill or special training, as distinguished from an artisan. Labouring (la'bér-ing), p, and a. 1. Exerting muscular strength or intellectual power; toiling; moving with pain or difficulty; cultivating. 2. A term applied to a person who performs work that requires no apprenticeship or professional skill, in distinction from an artisan.-3. Devoted or set apart for labour; as, a labouring day.-Labouring force, the force applied to a machine to set and keep it in motion. It differs from working or efficient force, which is the force actually exerted by the machine, or the force transmitted to the point of effect, inasmuch as part of it is expended in overcoming friction, &c. The labouring force is thus always greater than the working force.

Labourless (la'ber-les), a. Without labour; not laborious; easily done. Labour-pains (lā'bêr-pānz), n. pl. Pains of childbirth.

Saving labour; adapted to supersede or diminish the labour of men; as, a labour-saving machine.

Labour-saving (lā'bér-säv-ing), a.

Laboursome (la'bėr-sum), a. 1. Made with great labour and diligence. Laboursome petition.' Shak.-2. Apt or inclined to pitch and roll, as a ship in a heavy sea. Labra (la bra), n. [An intentionally incorrect form from L. labrum, a lip.J A lip.

Word of denial in thy labras here!

Word of denial: froth and scum, thou liest! Shak.

Labradorite, Labrador Felspar (lab'rador-it, lab'ra-dor fel-spär), n. A mineral found on the coast of Labrador, and formerly called Labrador hornblende, though that is the designation of hypersthene. It is a lime-soda felspar, and has been found massive and disseminated only. Labradorite is distinguished by its splendent changeability of colour. A name

Labrador-tea (lab'ra-dor-tē), n.

LABYRINTHINE

given to two species of the genus Ledum (L. latifolium and L. palustre) which possess narcotic properties, and render beer heady. They grow in the north of Europe and America.

Labrax (la'braks), n. [Gr., a ravenous seafish.] A genus of acanthopterygian fishes belonging to the perch family, which includes the rock-fish or striped bass of the United States.

Labridæ, Labroidei (lab'ri-dě, la-broi'dē-i), n. pl. The wrasse tribe, a family of acanthopterygious fishes, having the genus Labrus as the type. The ventral fins are under the pectorals, and the scales are cycloid. A member of the Labridan (lab'ri-dan), n. family Labridæ. Labrinth-liket (lab'rinth-lik), a. Labyrinthie.

In labrinth-like turns and twinings intricate. Labrose (lāʼbrōs), a. Drayton. [L. labrum, a lip.] Having thick lips. Labrum (la brum), n. [L., a lip.] 1. A lip or edge; especially, (a) in entom, the usually movable part which, terminating the face anteriorly, covers the mouth from above, and represents the upper lip. (b) In conch. the outer lip of a shell.-2. A basin or vase placed in the warm bath-room of the ancient baths. It contained hot water for the ablutions of those who used the vapour bath. Labrus (la'brus), n. [L., a fish mentioned by Pliny, either from Gr. labros, greedy, or from L. labrum, a lip, on account of their well-developed double fleshy lips.] A genus of spiny-finned fishes, the type of the family Labridae. The fishes of this genus are termed

wrasses.

Laburnum (la-bér′num), n. [L.] A tree of the genus Cytisus, the C. Laburnum, nat. order Leguminosa, a native of the Alps, much cultivated by way of ornament. It is well known in gardens for the beauty of its pendulous racemes of yellow pea-shaped flowers. The seeds contain a poisonous substance called cytisine, and are violently emetic; the wood is much prized by cabinetmakers and turners, being wrought into a variety of articles which require strength and smoothness. The Scotch laburnum of gardens is a form with larger leaves and flowers, which is known as C. alpinus. Labyrinth (lab'i-rinth), n. [L. labyrinthus; Gr. labyrinthos.] 1. A structure having numerous intricate winding passages, which render it difficult to find the way from the interior to the entrance. There were two remarkable ancient edifices of this kind, the Egyptian and the Cretan labyrinths. 2. Anything full of intricate turnings and windings; an ornamental maze or wilderness in gardens.

The serpent... soon he found

In labyrinth of many a round self-rolled.

Milton.

3. Any intricate matter or business; a difficulty from which one cannot be extricated; a maze; a perplexity.

The Earl of Essex had not proceeded with his accustomed wariness and skill; but run into labyrinths, from whence he could not disentangle himself. Clarendon.

4. A series of cavities in the ear, viz. the vestibule, the cochlea, and the semicircular canals; that part of the internal ear which lies behind the tympanum.-5. In metal. a series of troughs attached to a stamping mill, through which a current of water passes, for the purpose of washing away the suspended pulverized ore, and subsequently depositing it at different distances, depending upon its state of comminution.-Labyrinth fret, in arch. a fret with many turnings in the form of a labyrinth. Labyrinthal (lab'i-rinth-al), a. Same as Labyrinthian, Labyrinthean (lab-i-rinthLabyrinthian. i-an, lab-i-rinth'e-an), a. Winding; intricate; perplexed.

Mark how the labyrinthian turns they take,
The circles intricate, and mystic maze. Young.

A contracted, subtile, and intricate face, full of quirks and turnings: a labyrinthean face. B. Fonson. Labyrinthibranchide (lab'i-rinth-ibrangk"i-de), n. pl. [L. labyrinthos, a labyrinth, branchia, gills, and eidos, resemblance.] Same as Anabaside. Labyrinthic, Labyrinthical (lab-i-rinth'ik, lab-i-rinth'ik-al), a. Like a labyrinth. Labyrinthiform (lab-i-rinth'i-form), a. Having the form of a labyrinth; intricate. Labyrinthine (lab-i-rinth'in), a. Pertaining to or like a labyrinth.

LABYRINTHODON

Labyrinthodon (lab-i-rinth'o-don), n. [Gr. labyrinthos, a labyrinth, and odous, odontos, a tooth.] A genus of fossil amphibians, whose remains are found in the carboniferous, permian, and trias formations, those of the trias being found in England, India, and

Labyrinthodon Salamandroides.-Professor Owen.

Africa. They were allied to the crocodile and to the frog, and were 10 or 12 feet long. The name is derived from the labyrinthine structure of a section of the tooth, when seen under the microscope. The cheirotherium is supposed to have been the same animal.

Labyrinthodont (lab-i-rinth'o-dont), n. A member of the order of Labyrinthodontia. Labyrinthodontia(lab-i-rinth'ō-don"shi-a), n. pl. [See LABYRINTHODON.] An order of fossil Amphibia, of which Labyrinthodon is the type genus. See LABYRINTHODON. Lac (lak), n. [Per. lak, a red dye; Skr. laksha and raksha, the lac insect, from ranj, to dye.] A resinous substance produced mainly upon the Ficus indica or banyan-tree, by the exudations from the body of the female of the Coccus ficus or Coccus lacca. It is composed of five different varieties of resin, with a small quantity of several other substances, particularly a red colouring matter. Stick-lac is the substance in its natural state, incrusting small twigs. When broken off and washed with water it almost entirely loses its red colour, and is called seed-lac, from its granular form. When melted and reduced to a thin crust, it is called shell-lac. Mixed with turpentine, colouring matters, and other substances, lac is used to make differently coloured sealing-wax. Dissolved in alcohol or other menstrua, by different methods of preparation, it constitutes various kinds of varnishes and lacquers.-Lac-dye and laclake are colouring matters used in dyeing cloth scarlet, obtained by different processes from stick-lac. In the state in which they are found in commerce they have the form of little cakes. They were formerly obtained only from the East, but a superior kind of lac-dye is now manufactured in England from stick-lac. The colouring matter of lacdye is analogous to cochineal.

Lac, Lack (lak), n. [Hind. lakh, lukh; Skr. laksha, a hundred thousand.] In the East Indies, a word used to denote 100,000; as, a lac of rupees.

Laccic (lak'sik), a. [See LAC.] Pertaining to lac or produced from it. Laccine (lak'sin), n. A peculiar substance once thought to be obtainable from shelllac.

Lac-dye (lak'di), n. See under LAC, a resinous substance.

'To

Lace (las), n. [O.E. las; Fr. lacs, a lace, tie, snare; from L. laqueus, a noose, a snare.] 1. That which binds or fastens, especially by being interwoven; a string or cord used for fastening boots or some other part of the dress, or plaited and otherwise highly ornamented and used merely for decoration.-2.† A snare; a gin; a net. escape out of your lace.' Chaucer.-3. A delicate kind of net-work, formed of silk, flax, or cotton thread, used for the ornamenting of female dresses, &c., and made either by hand on a pillow or by machine: machine-made lace is sometimes distinguished by the name of Bobbinet.

Our English dames are much given to the wearing of costly laces. Bacon.

4. Spirits added to coffee or other beverage.

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3

2. To adorn with lace; as, cloth laced with silver or silver-gilt lace. -3. To embellish with variegations or intersecting stripes or streaks.

Shak.

Look, love, what envious streaks Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east. 4. To beat; to lash: generally in the phrase to lace one's coat.

I'll lace your coat for you. L'Estrange. 5. To add spirits to coffee or other beverage: as, a cup of coffee laced with a drop of brandy. [Colloq.]

Lace (las), v.i. To be made so as to be fastened or tied by a lace; to have a lace; as, my boots lace in front.

Lace-bark (läs'bärk), n. A shrub in the West Indies, the Lagetta lintearia, nat. order Thymeleaceæ, so called from the texture of its inner bark, which consists of numerous concentric layers of fibres which interlace in all directions.

Lace-boot (las'böt), n. A boot which is fastened by a lace.

Laced (last), p. and a. 1. Fastened with lace or a string; also, tricked out with lace. 2. Tied; bound. Chaucer.-3. Mixed with spirits: said of coffee or some other beverage. [Colloq.]-Laced mutton, † a courtesan. Shak.

Lace-frame (lās frām), n. A machine for making lace or bobbinet. Lace-leaf (läs'lēf), n. Same as Lattice-leaf. Lacemaker (läs'māk-ér), n. One whose employment is to make lace.

Laceman (las'man), n. pl. Lacemen (läs'men). A man who deals in lace. Lace-paper (las'pa-pèr), n. Paper having an open-work pattern in imitation of lace. Lace-pillow (las'pil-lo), n. A pillow or cushion for making lace on.

Lacerable (las'èr-a-bl), a. [See LACERATE.] That may be lacerated or torn. Lacerate (las'èr-at), v.t. pret. & pp. lacerated; ppr. lacerating. [L. lacero, laceratum, to tear, from lacer, mangled, torn.] To tear; to rend; to separate a substance by violence or tearing; as, to lacerate the flesh: often used figuratively in the sense of to torture; to harrow; as, to lacerate the feelings.

Lacerate, Lacerated (las'ér-at, las'ér-at-ed), p. and a. 1. Rent; torn.-2. In bot. having the edge variously cut into irregular segments; as, a lacerated leaf. 3. In anat. a term applied to two foramina at the base of the cranium, from their lacerated appear

ance.

Laceration (las'èr-a'shon), n. The act of tearing or rending; the breach made by rending.

Lacerative (las'ér-at-iv), a. Tearing; having the power to tear; as, lacerative humours. Lacert,t Lacerte,t n. [L. lacerta, a lizard.] A fleshy muscle: so named from its having a tail like a lizard. Chaucer. Lacerta (la-sér'ta), n. [L.] 1. The lizard, a genus of saurian reptiles. See LIZARD.2. A northern constellation, consisting of sixteen stars. It is surrounded by Andromeda, Cepheus, Cygnus, and Pegasus. 3. [Probably from L. lacertus, the upper arm.] A fathom. Doomsday Book. Lacertian (la-sér'shi-an), n. A saurian reptile belonging to the family Lacertida. Lacertian, Lacertilian (la-sèr'shi-an, lasér-til'i-an), a. Belonging to the family of

lizards.

Lacertidæ, Lacertinidæ (la-ser'ti-dē, lasér-tin'i-de), n. pl. [L. lacerta, a lizard, and Gr. eidos, resemblance.] The true lizards, a family of land reptiles, belonging to the order Sauria or Lacertilia. The body is rounded, covered with scales, the largest ones below; the tail is frequently very long and easily broken; they have two pairs of limbs, the feet with four or five toes of unequal length, bearing hooked claws; the mouth is wide, the tongue protrusible, slender, and forked; the eyes brilliant, with a membranous expansion resembling a third eyelid; the colours often showy. The Lacertidæ are peculiar to the Old World, and are chiefly found in Southern Europe and Western Asia. Two species occur in Britain, Zootica Vivipara (the scaly lizard), and Lacerta agilis (the sand lizard), which are, in fact, the only saurians, except the common slow-worm, now found in these islands. Lacertilia (las'ér-til-i-a), n. pl. [L. lacerta, a lizard.] An order of reptiles including the slow-worm, the lizards proper, the monitors, iguana, chameleons, and geckos. Most of them have two pairs of limbs, but in some only one pair is found, and in the

LACHRYMATORY

slow-worm no trace of a limb is seen externally; the scapular arch is, however, invariably present. The eyes are generally furnished with movable eyelids; the teeth are not placed in distinct sockets; the skin is covered with horny plates or scales; the bodies of the vertebræ are concave, rarely biconcave.

Lacertine, Lacertiloid (la-sér'tin, la-ser'til-oid), a. [L. lacertus.] Like a lizard. Lacertus (la-sér'tus), n. The girrock, a fish of the garfish kind; also, the lizard fish. Lace-trimming (las'trim-ing), n. An edging or border of lace; a woven string. Lace-winged (las'wingd), a. Having wings like lace. Lace-winged flies, insects of the genus Hemerobius and order Neuroptera, so called from their delicate wings having many netted spaces like lace. The larvæ are exceedingly voracious, and feed upon aphides.

Lacewoman (las'wy-man), n. pl. Lacewomen (wim'en). A woman who makes or sells lace.

Lache,ta. [See the noun.] Sluggish; negligent. Chaucer.

Lache, Laches (lash, lash'ez), n. [Norm. Fr. lachesse, remissness, Fr. lache, loose, remiss, cowardly; O. Fr. lasche, Pr. lasc, It. lasco; from L. laxus, lax, slow, laxus becoming lascus by transposition of sounds.] In law, neglect; negligence; remissness; inexcusable delay; neglect to do a thing at the proper time.

If his parliament, overwhelmed with business which could not be postponed without danger to his throne and to his person, had been forced to defer, year after year, the consideration of so large and complex a question as that of the Irish forfeitures, it ill became him to take advantage of such a laches with the eagerness of a shrewd attorney. Macaulay. -Laches of entry, a neglect of the heir to enter.

Lachesis (lak'e-sis), n. 1. In class. myth. the one of the three Fates whose duty it was to spin the thread of life.-2. An American genus of serpents of the family Crotalidæ or rattle-snakes, but differing from the true rattle-snakes in the tail terminating in a spine instead of a rattle, and the head being covered with scales instead of plates. They are among the most venomous of serpents.

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a.

Lachesness (lach'ez-nes), n. Remissness; carelessness; negligence. [Rare.] Lachesse,t n. [See LACHE.] Slackness; negligence. Chaucer. Lachrymable, Lacrymable (lak'rim-a-bl), Lamentable. [Rare.] Lachrymæ Christi (lak'ri-mē kris'ti), n. [L., lit. Christ's tears.] A sweet but piquant muscatel wine of most agreeable flavour produced from the grapes of Mount Somma, near Vesuvius. There are two kinds, white and red, the former of which is most valued. Lachrymæform (lak'ri-me-form), a. [L. lachryma, a tear, and forma, shape. ] In bot. tear-shaped: almost synonymous with pear-shaped, only that the sides of the inverted cone are not contracted, as the seed of the apple.

Lachrymal, Lacrymal (lak'rim-al), a. [Fr. from L. lachryma, a tear.] Pertaining to tears; generating or secreting tears, as the lachrymal gland; conveying tears, as the lachrymal canal.

Lachrymal, Lacrymal (lak'rim-al), n. Same as Lachrymatory. Lachrymary, Lacrymary (lak'rim-a-ri), a. Containing tears. Lachrymary vessels.' Addison. Lachrymation (lak-ri-ma'shon), n. The act of shedding tears. [Rare.] Lachrymatory (lak'rim-a-to-ri), n. [Fr.

Lachrymatories, from specimens in British Museum.

lachrymatoire; L. L. lachrymatorium, from L. lachryma, a tear.] A vessel found in sepulchres of the ancients, in which it has

LACHRYMOSE

been supposed the tears of a deceased person's friends were collected and preserved with the ashes and urn. It was a small glass or bottle like a phial. Called also Lachrymal or Lacrymal. Lachrymose (lak'rim-ös), a. Generating or shedding tears; appearing as if shedding or given to shed tears; tearful. Lachrymosely (lak'rim-ös-li), adv. In a lachrymose manner; tearfully. Lacing (las'ing), n. 1. The act of binding or fastening through eyelet-holes.-2. A cord used in drawing tight or fastening.-3. Naut. the rope or line used to confine the heads of sails to their yards or gaffs; also, a piece of compass or knee-timber fayed to the back of the figure and the knee of the head. Lacinia (la-sin'i-a), n. [L., a lappet, as of a garment] 1. In bot. (a) one of the straps or tags forming the fringe on the outer portion of the limb of some petals. (b) The fringe itself. 2. In entom. the blade or apex of the maxilla of an insect.

Laciniate, Laciniated (la-sin'i-ät, la-sin'iät-ed), a. [L. lacinia, a lappet or border.] 1. Adorned with fringes. -2. In bot. jagged; noting leaves or petals which are divided by deep taper-pointed incisions. Laciniform (la-sin'i-form), a.

[Lacinia

(which see), and form.] In entom. fringeshaped: applied by Kirby to the tegula of insects when they are long, irregular, and resemble a little fringe on each side of the trunk, as in the Lithosia.

Lacinula (la-sin'u-la), n. [Dim. from L. lacinia, a lappet.] In bot. (a) a small lacinia. (b) The abruptly inflexed acumen or point of each of the petals of an umbelliferous flower.

Lacistemaceae (las'is-te-mã"sē-ė), n.pl. [Gr. lakistos, torn, rent.] A small natural order of monochlamydeous exogenous shrubs, allied to the Euphorbiaceae. The flowers are in catkins, the fruit a three-valved capsule. Only one genus, Lacistema, and about sixteen species are known; they are natives of tropical America.

Lack (lak), v.t. [O.E. lake, laik, blame, disgrace, defect, lake, to blame or censure, lak, want, lack; Sc. laik, failure, blame, &c., inlake, deficiency, decrease; D. laken, to blame, O.D. laecken, to fail, to decrease; Dan. lak, fault, want, lakke, to decline, to wear away; Icel. lakr, defective, lacking; by some connected with the verb to leak.] 1. To want; to be destitute of; not to have or possess; hence, to need; to require.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.

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Ps. xxxiv. 10.

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger. 2. To be wanting.

Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous. Gen. xviii. 28. Lack (lak), n. Want; destitution; need; failure.

He that gathered little had no lack. Ex. xvi. 18. Let his lack of years be no impediment. Shak. Lack, n. See LAC. Lackadaisical, Lackadaisy (lak-a-daʼzikal, lak-a-dăʼzi), a. Affectedly pensive; maudlinly sentimental. Lackadaisy (lak'a-da-zi), exclam. Used ludicrously for Lack-a-day. Lack-a-day (lak-a-dā'). [Contr. for alack-aday.] Exclamation of sorrow or regret; alas!-alas! the day. Lackall (lak'al), n. A person thoroughly destitute; a needy fellow. Unprofessionals, lackalls, social nondescripts.' Carlyle. Lackbeard (lak'bērd), n. One destitute of beard. Shak.

Lackbrain (lakʼbrān), n. One that wants brains, or is deficient in understanding. Shak.

Lacker (lak'er), n. One who lacks. Davies. Lacker (lak'er), n. Same as Lacquer, n. Lacker (lak'ér), v.t. Same as Lacquer, v.t. Lackey (lak'i), n. [Fr. laquais, from Sp. and Pg lacayo, alacay, probably from Ar. lakiyy, attached to some one or something. Diez derives it from a radical seen in Pr. lacai, a gourmand, so that it would have the same origin as lecher (which see).] 1. An attending servant; a runner; a footboy or footman; hence, any servile follower.

Like a Christian footboy, or a gentleman's lackey.
Shak.

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2. A kind of particoloured caterpillar. See LACKEY-MOTH.

Lackey (lak'i), v.t. To wait on as a lackey; to attend servilely.

A thousand liveried angels lackey her. Milon. i Lackey (lak'i), v. i. To act as footboy; to run along-side of a coach, as footmen used to do those of their masters; to pay servile attendance.

Oft have I servants seen on horses ride,

The free and noble lackey by their side. Sandys.

Lackey-moth (lak'i-moth), n. The Clisio

campa neustria, a moth not uncommon in this country; the larvae, which are striped, live in society under a web, and are sometimes very destructive.

Lack-Latin (lak'la-tin), n. One ignorant
of Latin; an uneducated ignoramus.
Lack-linen (lak'lin-en), a. Wanting a shirt.
Shak. [Rare.]

What! you poor, base, rascally, cheating, Lack-linen mate! Away, you mouldy rogue, away! Shak. Lack-love (lak'luv), n. One who is indifferent to love.

Shak. Wanting

Pretty soul! she durst not lie Near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy. Lack-lustre (lak'lus-ter), a. lustre or brightness. Looking on it with lack-lustre eye.' Shak. Lack-lustre (lak'lus-ter), n. A want of lustre, or that which wants brightness. Lac-lake (lak'lák), n. See under LAC, a resinous substance.

Lac-lunæ (lak'lü-nē), n. [L] Lit. milk of the moon; a snowy-white substance resembling chalk. It consists almost wholly of alumina, saturated with carbonic acid. Lacmus (lak'mus). See LITMUS. Laconian (la-kōʻni-an), n.

An inhabitant

of Laconia, a division of ancient Greece. Laconian (la-kō'ni-an), a. Pertaining to Laconia or its inhabitants. Laconic, Laconical (la-kon'ik, la-konʼik-al), a. [Fr. laconique; L. laconicus; from Laconia, or Lacones, the Spartans.] 1. Pertaining to Laconia or its inhabitants.---2. Short; brief; pithy; sententious; expressing much in few words, after the manner of the Spartans, who were Laconians; as, a laconic phrase.

King Agis, therefore, when a certain Athenian laughed at the Lacedaemonian short swords, . answered in his laconic way, And yet we can reach our enemies' hearts with them. Langhorne.

3. Resembling the Laconians or Spartans in severity; hard; stern; severe. Laconic (la-kon'ik), n. 1. Conciseness of language; laconism.

Shall we never again talk together in laconic! Addison. 2. A concise, pithy expression; something expressed in concise, pithy manner; a laconism.

Laconically (la-kon'ik-al-li), adv. Briefly; concisely; as, a sentiment laconically expressed.

Laconics (la-kon'iks), n. A book of Pausanias, which treats of Laconia.

Laconism, Laconicism (lakʼon-izm, la-kon'i-sizm), n. [L. laconismus.] 1. A concise style.

And I grow laconic even beyond laconicism, for sometimes I return only yes or no to questionary or petitionary epistles of half a yard long." Pope. 2. A brief sententious phrase or expression, The laconism on the wall (Dan. iii. 25).' Sir T. Browne. Laconize (lak'on-iz), v.i. To imitate the Lacedaemonians either in spareness of living or in short pithy speech. Lacquer, Lacker (lak'er), n. [Fr. laque, lac. See LAC.] A varnish usually consisting of a solution of shell-lac (sometimes sandarach, mastic, &c.) in alcohol, coloured by arnotto, gamboge, saffron, and other colouring matLacquers are used for varnishing brass and some other metals in order to give them a golden colour and preserve their lustre.

ters.

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LACTIC

sion running with it towards the enemy's goal, and when on the point of being caught, passing it by tossing to one of his own side,

Crosse or Bat used in game of La-crosse.

or throwing it over his head as far in the direction of the goal as possible.

See LACHRYMABLE.
See LACHRYMAL.

See LACHRYMARY.

Lacrymable, a. Lacrymal, a. Lacrymary, a. Lacrymose, a. See LACHRYMOSE. Lacs d'Amour (lak da-mör), n. [Fr.] In her. a cord of running knots surrounding the arms of unmarried women and widows. Lactaget (lak'tāj), n. [0. Fr. lactage, Fr. laitage, from L. lae, Fr. lait, milk.] The produce of animals yielding milk; milk and milk products. Milk, or rather cream, a part of his lactage. Shuckford. Lactamide (lakʼta-mid), n. (CH, NO2.) A colourless, crystallizable, soluble substance formed by the union of lactide and ammonia, whence the name.

Lactant (lak'tant), a. [L. lactans, lactantis, ppr. of lacto, to give suck; lac, milk.] Suckling; giving suck. [Rare.] Lactarene, Lactarine (lak'ta-ren, lak'tarin), n. [L. lac, lactis, milk.] A preparation of the casein of milk, extensively used by calico-printers. Lactary (lak'ta-ri), a. [L. lactarius, milky, from lac, milk.] Milky; full of white juice like milk. 'Lactary or milky plants. Sir

T. Browne. [Rare.] Lactary (lak'ta-ri), n. [See the adjective.] A dairy-house. [Rare.] Lactate (lak'tat), n. In chem. a salt of lactic acid, or acid of sour milk. All the lactates are soluble, and many of them uncrystallizable. Lactate of urea is contained in human urine.

Lactation (lak-tā'shon), n. [L. lacto, to give suck.] 1. The act of giving suck, or the time of suckling.-2. In med. the function of secreting and excreting milk. Lacteal (lak'tē-al), a. (See LACTEOUS.] 1. Pertaining to or resembling milk; milky. -2. Conveying chyle; as, a lacteal vessel. Lacteal (lak'te-al), n. In anat. one of numerous minute tubes which absorb or take up the chyle or milk-like fluid from the alimentary canal and convey it to the thoracic duct.

Lacteally (lak'tē-al-li), adv. Milkily; in the

manner of milk. Lactean (lak'te-an), a. 1. Milky; resembling milk.

This lactean whiteness ariseth from a great number of little stars constipated in that part of heaven. Moxon. 2. Lacteal; conveying chyle. Lacteous (lak'tē-us), a. [L. lacteus, from lac, milk.] 1. Milky; resembling milk.--2. Lacteal; conveying chyle; as, a lacteous vessel. Lacteously (lak'tē-us-li), adv. In a lacteous manner; milkily; lacteally.

Lactescence (lak-tes'ens), n. 1. The state of being lactescent; milkiness or milky colour. 2. In bot. the liquor which flows abundantly from a plant when wounded, commonly white, but sometimes yellow or red. Lactescent (lak-tes'ent), a. [L. lactescens, lactesco, to become milk or milky, from lacteo, to be milky, from lac, milk.] 1. Becoming milky; having a milky appearance or consistence.-2. Abounding in a thick coloured juice.

Lactic (lak'tik), a. [L. lac, lactis, milk. Fr. lactique.] Pertaining to milk or procured from sour milk or whey. Lactic acid (CHO), an acid found in several animal liquids, and particularly in human

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