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Glossary of Biographic Terms
beginning with letter L
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Lafayette
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proper noun
  1. w:Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette, Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette (1757 " 1834), a French aristocrat who is considered a national hero in both France and the United States for his participation in the French and American revolutions.
  2. A large city in Louisiana, USA, named for the Marquis de La Fayette.
lake
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noun
  1. Large, landlocked, naturally occurring stretch of water.
  2. In dyeing and painting, an often fugitive crimson or vermillion pigment derived from an organic colorant (cochineal or madder, for example) and an inorganic, generally metallic mordant.
  3. (In the plural) an area characterised by its many lakes; e.g., the English Lake District is often shortened to The Lakes.
  4. a, A large amount of liquid: a wine lake.
verb
  1. to present an offering (obsolete)
  2. to leap, jump, exert oneself, play (mainly dialectal)
lam
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noun
  1. Used in the expression on the lam to mean that a person is fleeing law enforcement, possibly in hiding.
lamas
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noun
  1. (plural of, lama)
lamb
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noun
  1. A young sheep, of up to one year of age.
  2. The flesh of a lamb used as food.
  3. (figuratively) A person who is meek, docile and easily led.
verb
  1. (intransitive) Of a sheep, to give birth.
  2. (context, transitive, or, intransitive) To assist (sheep) to give birth.
The shepherd was up all night, lambing her young ewes.
land
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noun
  1. The part of Earth which is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water.
  2. Real estate or landed property; a partitioned and measurable area which is owned and on which buildings can be erected.
  3. A country or region.
  4. Ground that is suitable for farming.
  5. (Ireland / Colloquial) a fright.
He got an awful when the police arrived.
verb
  1. (intransitive) To descend to a surface, especially from the air.
The plane is about to .
  1. (intransitive) To come into rest.
  2. (intransitive) To arrive at land, especially a shore, or a dock, from a body of water.
  3. (transitive) To bring to land.
It can be tricky to a helicopter.
Use the net to the fish.
  1. (transitive) To acquire; to secure.
  2. (transitive) To deliver.
adjective
  1. Of or relating to land.
  2. Residing or growing on land.
landau
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noun
  1. a type of lightweight, four-wheeled carriage in which the front and back passenger seats face each other
  • 1891: Away they went, and I was just wondering whether I should not do well to follow them, when up the lane came a neat little , the coachman with his coat only half-buttoned, and his tie under his ear, while all the tags of his harness were sticking out of the buckles. " Arthur Conan Doyle, "A Scandal In Bohemia" (Norton 2005 p.23)
    1. a style of automobile which is based around the idea of landau carriages
lang
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noun
  1. (form of, Abbreviation, language)
Langer
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proper noun
  1. a family name; of the family of the tall man
Lansing
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proper noun
  1. Any number of towns in the USA, see
Laplace
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proper noun (wikipedia, Pierre-Simon Laplace)
  1. (mathematics) Pierre-Simon Laplace, French mathematician 1749-1827, used attributively in the names of various mathematical concepts named after him (see "Derived terms" below)
lasso
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noun (pl2=lassoes)
  1. A long rope with a sliding loop on one end, generally used in ranching to catch cattle and horses.
  2. (computing) An image editing function for drawing a line around an object.
verb (lasso, es)
  1. to catch with a lasso
laud
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noun
  1. Praise or glorification.
  2. A hymn of praise.
  3. (in plural, sometimes Lauds) a prayer service following matins
verb
  1. (intransitive) To praise, to glorify.
lauder
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noun
  1. One who lauds.
laurel
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noun
  1. An evergreen shrub, of the genus Laurus (L. nobilis), having aromatic leaves of a lanceolate shape, with clusters of small, yellowish white flowers in their axils; -- called also sweet bay. The fruit is a purple berry. It is found about the Mediterranean, and was early used by the ancient Greeks to crown the victor in the games of Apollo. At a later period, academic honors were indicated by a crown of laurel, with the fruit. The leaves and tree yield an aromatic oil, used to flavor the bay water of commerce.
Note: The name is extended to other plants which in some respect resemble the true laurel.
  1. A crown of laurel; hence, honor; distinction; fame; -- especially in the plural; as, to win laurels.
  2. An English gold coin made in 1619, and so called because the king's head on it was crowned with laurel
laver
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noun
  1. A red alga of the genus Porphyra.
Law
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proper noun
  1. an English surname
  2. a diminutive of Lawrence
lawman
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noun (lawmen)
  1. An officer of the law, such as a sheriff or marshal.
Lawrence
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proper noun
  1. (given name, male), a spelling variant of Laurence.
laxness
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noun
  1. The property of being lax, lacking strictness.
    There was a certain in safety preparations that made the fire worse.
Lazarus
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proper noun
  1. (New Testament) A man, the brother of Mary and Martha, brought back to life by Jesus after being in the tomb for four days.
    1. (New Testament) A beggar in a parable told by Jesus Christ.
  2. (given name, male, ) A male given name.
verb (Lazarus, es)
  1. To rescue a dying person.
  2. To raise from the dead.
Lea
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proper noun
  1. (given name, female), latinized form of Leah.
leaf
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noun (leaves)
  1. An organ of a plant typically divided into a flattened portion (the blade) and a narrow stalk (the petiole) and serving as the principal site of photosynthesis and transpiration.
  2. Anything resembling the leaf of a plant.
  3. A sheet of any substance beaten or rolled until very thin.
gold leaf
  1. A sheet of a book, magazine, etc (consisting of two pages, one on each face of the leaf).
  2. (in plural leaves) tea leaf, Tea leaves.
  3. A flat section used to extend the size of a table.
  4. (context, computing, mathematics) In a tree, a node that has no descendants.
verb
  1. (intransitive) To produce leaves; put forth foliage.
lean
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verb (leans, leaning, leant or leaned)
  1. To hang outwards.
  2. To press against.
adjective (lean, er)
  1. (context, of a person) slim; not fleshy.
  2. (context, of meat) having little fat.
  3. Having little extra or little to spare.
a budget
  1. Of a fuel-air mixture, having more air than is necessary to burn all of the fuel; more air- or oxygen- rich than necessary for a stoichiometric reaction.
lecky
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noun
  1. (slang) electricity
Lee
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proper noun
  1. An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a meadow
  2. A surname of Chinese origin, a variant of Li (See: æŽ).
  3. (given name, male) derived from the surname,or a nickname for names such as Leo and Leroy
  4. (given name, female) popular in conjoined names such as Lee Ann or Mary Lee.
  5. Various place names
  6. A river in Co. Cork, Ireland.
leech
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noun
  1. An aquatic blood-sucking annelid of class Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis.
  2. A person who derives profit from others, in a parasitic fashion.
  3. (obsolete) A physician.
verb (leech, es)
  1. To apply a medicinally.
  2. To drain the resources of, without giving back.
Bert leeched hundreds of files from the BBS, but never uploaded anything in return.
Leicester
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proper noun
  1. A city in Leicestershire, England
Leidy
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proper noun
  1. an American surname, variant of Swiss German Leidig
  2. an American given name derived from the surname
Leonard
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proper noun
  1. (given name, male, ). Diminutives: Len, Lenny.
leone
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noun
  1. A unit of currency of Sierra Leone, divided into 100 cents.
Lermontov
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proper noun
  1. A town in Russia
  2. w:Mikhail Lermontov, Mikhail Lermontov Russian writer
lever
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noun
  1. (mechanics) A rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (the fulcrum), and in which are two or more other points where forces are applied; — used for transmitting and modifying force and motion. Specif., a bar of metal, wood, or other rigid substance, used to exert a pressure, or sustain a weight, at one point of its length, by receiving a force or power at a second, and turning at a third on a fixed point called a fulcrum. It is usually named as the first of the six mechanical powers, and is of three kinds, according as either the fulcrum F, the weight W, or the power P, respectively, is situated between the other two, as in the figures.
  2. (mechanics) A bar, as a capstan bar, applied to a rotatory piece to turn it.
  3. (mechanics) An arm on a rock shaft, to give motion to the shaft or to obtain motion from it.
verb (levers, levering, levered, levered)
  1. To move with a lever.
    With great effort and a big crowbar I managed to the beam off the floor.
adverb
  1. (obsolete) Rather. —Chaucer.
For lever had I die than see his deadly face. —Spenser
Levi
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proper noun
  1. (biblical) Third son of Jacob, by his wife Leah.
  2. (biblical) One of the Israelite tribes, descended from Levi; the tribe from which priests were selected.
  3. A male given name.
  4. A surname
levy
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noun (pl. levies)
  1. The act of levying
  2. The tax, property or people so levied
verb (lev, i, ed)
  1. To impose a tax or fine, to collect monies due, or to confiscate property
  2. To draft someone into military service
  3. To wage war
Lewes
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proper noun
  1. a town in East Sussex, England
Lewis
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proper noun
  1. (given name, male) of Norman origin, the English form of Louis.
  2. An English surname derived from the given name
  3. A Welsh surname; anglicized form of Llewellyn
  4. The Isle of Lewis, Scotland.
  5. The title given to a partially apprenticed Freemason who is normally the Master or Son of a practicing Freemason; One practising or learning the degrees of Freemasonary after introduction to the degrees and before full induction or before becoming a Worshipful Brother.
lie
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noun
  1. An intentionally false statement; a falsehood.
  2. A statement intended to deceive, even if literally true; a half-truth
verb (lies, lying, lay, lain)
  1. (intransitive) To be in a horizontal position.
  2. (intransitive) To be placed or situated.
Lincoln
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proper noun (Lincolns)
  1. A placename, originally in Lincolnshire, England.
  2. An English surname.
  3. w:Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States during the Civil War.
  4. (given name, male) of American usage, originally in honor of Abraham Lincoln.
  5. A brand of American automobile.
  6. An English breed of sheep.
  7. A county in many U.S. states.
  8. (colloquial, US) A five-dollar bill.
    • 1989, Albert William Gray, Size, page 117
    • :A Jackson, a , three singles. He was seven bucks short, ".
    • 2006, EminemsRevenge?, Jew Girl, page 181
    • : " not only winning the hand, but also collecting a five dollar per player bonus. ". Jonah yelled to Fred, who crumpled up a and tossed it toward him.
lind
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noun
  1. (obsolete) the lime tree, or linden tree
Linnaeus
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proper noun
  1. Carl (or the latinized Carolus) Linnaeus, also known as Carl von Linné, Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. He is known as the "father of modern taxonomy."
lisle
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noun
  1. A type of strong cotton thread.
  2. cloth, Cloth woven from lisle thread.
list
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noun
  1. A strip of fabric, especially from the edge of a piece of cloth.
  2. Material used for cloth selvage.
  • 1893: The charwomen are in the habit of taking off their boots at the commissionaire's office, and putting on slippers. " Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Naval Treaty" (Norton 2005, p.681)
    1. (in plural) The palisades or barriers used to fence off a space for tilting or jousting tournaments.
  • 1819: William de Wyvil, and Stephen de Martival, ... armed at all points, rode up and down the lists to enforce and preserve good order among the spectators. " Walter Scott, Ivanhoe
verb
  1. To create or recite a list.
lister
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noun
  1. A spear armed with three or more prongs, for striking fish.
  2. A person or organisation that creates or maintains lists.
Lloyd
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proper noun
  1. A Welsh surname; a nickname for someone with gray hair
  2. A male given name derived from the surname
Locke
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proper noun
  1. w:John Locke, John Locke (1632 " 1704); an influential English philosopher of the Enlightenment and social contract theorist. He argued that a government could only be legitimate if it received the consent of the governed and protected the natural rights of the governed. If such consent was not given, citizens had a right of rebellion. His writings influenced the American revolutionaries as reflected in the American Declaration of Independence.
lodge
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noun
  1. porter, Porter's rooms in the main entrance to a building.
  2. A group of freemasons, the smallest organizational structure of freemasons.
  3. A hotel or resort, usually in a rural area
  4. A building used for recreational use such as a hunting lodge or a summer cabin
  5. A country house
verb (lodg, ing)
  1. (intransitive) To be firmly fixed in a specified position.
I've got some spinach lodged between my teeth.
  1. (intransitive) To pay rent to a landlord or landlady who lives in the same house.
  2. (transitive) To supply with a room or place to sleep in for a time.
  3. (transitive) To put money, jewellery, or other valuables for safety.
  4. (transitive) To place (a statement, etc.) with the proper authority, authorities (such as courts, etc.).
Logan
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proper noun
  1. (given name, male) derived from a Scottish surname "logan".
London
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proper noun
  1. The capital city of the United Kingdom and of England, situated near the mouth of the River Thames in southeast England, with a metropolitan population of more than 12,000,000.
  2. A city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a population of approximately 300,000.
  3. (as a modifier) Of, from, or pertaining to London in the UK.
  4. (as a modifier) Of, from, or pertaining to London, Ontario, Canada.
long
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noun
  1. (linguistics) A long vowel.
verb
  1. (intransitive) To await, to aspire, to want (for something to occur)
She longed for him to come back.
adjective
  1. Having much distance from one terminating point on an object or an area to another terminating point. Long usually applies to horizontal dimensions. (italbrac, see Usage Notes)
It's a way from the Earth to the Moon.
  1. Of things that take much time or are of great duration.
The pyramids of Egypt have been around for a time.
  1. (finance) possessing or owning stocks, bonds or other financial instruments.
  2. (cricket) of a fielding position, close to the boundary (or closer to the boundary than the equivalent short position)
adverb
  1. Over a great distance in space.
He threw the ball .
  1. For a duration in time.
Will this interview take ?
Longfellow
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proper noun
  1. An English surname, originally a nickname for a tall person
  2. w:Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow American poet
Lopez
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proper noun
  1. A surname of Spanish origin, derived from the Latin for wolf
Lorentz
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proper noun (wikipedia, Hendrik Lorentz)
  1. Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, Dutch physicist and Nobel laureate
Lorenz
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noun (wikipedia, Lorenz (navigation))
  1. (during World War II) a blind-landing aid used at German military airfields
proper noun
  1. w:Konrad Lorenz, Konrad Lorenz, Austrian zoologist and ethologist
Lorraine
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proper noun
  1. A région of France.
  2. (given name, female) from the French place name, associated with Laura by folk etymology
loti
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noun
  1. The currency of Lesotho, divided into 100 lisente.
Louis
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proper noun
  1. (given name, male, , ).
Lovecraft
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proper noun
  1. w:H.P. Lovecraft, H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937), an American author of fantasy, horror and science fiction, noted for combining these three genres within single narratives. Lovecraft's works have become highly important and influential among writers and fans of modern horror fiction.
  2. The literature written by H. P. Lovecraft.
  3. A surname.
Lovell
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proper noun
  1. An English surname, originally a nickname from the Norman French for wolf
lover
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noun
  1. A person who love, loves another person.
Synonyms - see
  1. A sexual partner.
Synonyms - see WikiSaurus:sexual partner
  1. A person who love, loves something. (connoisseur)
low
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noun
  1. Something that is low.
  2. A depressed mood or situation.
He is in a right now
verb
  1. (intransitive) To moo.
The cattle were lowing.
adjective
  1. In a position comparatively close to the ground.
  2. Small in height.
  3. depressed, Depressed, sad.
Lowell
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proper noun
  1. An English surname, variant of Lovell
Lucas
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proper noun
  1. (given name, male)
  2. An English surname
  3. Any of several place names
Lucian
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proper noun
  1. A sophist who was of Syrian origin.
lunt
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noun
  1. a slow-burning match or torch
  • 1969: Bent down and saw I was right. A lunt up the bugger"s nose. A lunt? said Doctor Copper. Almost as long as your left forefinger, yes, said his visitor. Still burning. " Robert Nye, Tales I Told My Mother
    1. smoke with flames, especially from a pipe
lynch
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verb (lynch, es)
  1. To execute without a proper legal trial.
  2. To commit an act of violence by a mob upon the body of another person.
Lynn
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proper noun
  1. A surname
  2. (given name, male) usually appearing as a middle name
  3. (given name, female), most popular as a middle name
Lyon
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proper noun
  1. (alternative spelling of, Lyons)
Lyons
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proper noun
  1. A city in France, the capital of the Rhí´ne-Alpes région.
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