English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

laryngitis

noun

Inflammation of the larynx (voice box), usually causing hoarseness or loss of voice.

larynx

noun

The part of the throat containing the vocal cords, involved in producing sound and protecting the airway.

lasagna

noun

Broad, flat sheets of pasta, or the baked Italian dish made by layering them with sauce, cheese, and other fillings.

lasagne

noun

A British English spelling of lasagna.

Lasalle

name

A French surname meaning "the hall" or "the room," also a street name in several American cities.

lascivious

adj

Showing an excessive or improper interest in sex; lewd.

laser

noun

A device that produces a narrow, highly focused beam of light through amplified light emission.

lash

noun

A hair growing from the edge of the eyelid; an eyelash.

lashed

adjective

Informal British slang for very drunk.

lashing

noun

A cord, rope, or strap used to tie or bind something down.

lask

verb

(dated) To have diarrhoea.

Lasky

name

A surname of Eastern European Jewish origin, an Americanized form of a Polish place name.

lass

noun

(chiefly Scottish and Northern English) A girl or young woman.

Lassen

name

A surname of Danish origin, and the name of a volcanic peak in California, Lassen Peak.

lassie

noun

An affectionate term for a young girl, especially a girlfriend or sweetheart.

Lassiter

name

An American surname, likely an altered form of the English surname Lassater.

lassitude

noun

A feeling of tiredness and lack of energy.

lasso

noun

A long rope with a sliding loop, used especially by cowboys to catch cattle and horses.

last

adj

Coming after all others; final.

last minute

adjective

Done, arranged or decided at the latest possible time before something happens, usually in a hurry.

lastborn

noun

The last child born into a family.

lasting

adj

Continuing for a long time; enduring.

lastingly

adv

In a way that continues for a long time.

lastly

adv

Used to introduce the final point in a list.

Laszlo

name

A masculine given name common in Hungary, a form of Ladislaus meaning "glorious rule."

lat

noun

The former monetary unit of Latvia, used until it was replaced by the euro in 2014.

Lata

name

A feminine given name of Sanskrit origin meaning "creeper vine," common in South Asia.

latch

noun

A simple fastening for a door or gate, worked by a bar or lever.

latching

noun

The action of closing something using a latch.

late

adj

Arriving or happening after the expected or usual time.

latecomer

noun

Someone who joined or arrived only a short time ago.

lately

adv

Recently; in the period up to now.

latency

noun

The delay between an action and the response to it, especially the time data takes to travel across a network.

lateness

noun

The state or fact of being late.

latent

adj

Present but not yet visible, active, or developed.

later

adv

At a subsequent or future time.

lateral

adj

Relating to, or situated at, the side of something.

laterally

adv

In a sideways way.

laters

intj

(slang) An informal way of saying goodbye.

latest

noun

The most recent news, information, or version of something.

latex

noun

The milky fluid produced by certain plants, especially rubber trees, that hardens on contact with air and is used to make rubber.

lath

noun

A thin strip of wood fixed to a building's frame to hold up plaster or tiles.

Latham

name

An English surname and place name derived from Old Norse, meaning "at the barns."

lathe

noun

A machine that shapes a piece of wood, metal, or other material by spinning it against a cutting tool.

lather

noun

The foam created by mixing soap or shampoo with water.

Lathrop

name

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "barn village."

Latif

name

A masculine given name of Arabic origin, meaning "gentle" or "kind."

latimer

noun

(archaic) An interpreter, especially one who translated into or from Latin.

Latin

name

The classical language of ancient Rome, ancestor of French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian.

Latina

noun

A woman of Latin American descent.

Latino

noun

A person, especially a man, of Latin American descent.

latitat

noun

(law, historical) A legal order issued on the assumption that the person named was hiding.

latitude

noun

The angular distance of a place north or south of the equator.

Latour

name

A French surname meaning "the tower," also associated with a famous Bordeaux wine estate.

latrant

adj

(formal) Barking, or bitterly and loudly complaining.

latrate

verb

(formal) To bark like a dog.

latria

noun

The highest form of worship, named adoration, properly given to the triune God alone.

latrine

noun

A simple toilet, especially a pit or trench, used in military camps or other basic facilities.

latron

noun

(dated) A robber or bandit.

lats

noun

(informal) Short for the latissimus dorsi muscles of the back.

latte

noun

A coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk, usually topped with a little foam.

latter

adj

Being the second of two things just mentioned.

latterly

adv

In a latter manner

lattermath

noun

Another word for aftermath, in either of its meanings.

lattice

noun

A framework of crossed strips of wood or metal, often used as a garden trellis or decorative pattern.

latticed

adj

Made or covered with a lattice, showing a crisscross pattern of strips.

latticework

noun

A structure of strips or bars crossing each other to form a crisscross pattern.

Lattimer

name

An English surname, an occupational name for someone who worked with latten, a type of metal.

Latvia

name

A country on the Baltic Sea in northeastern Europe, officially the Republic of Latvia.

Latvian

adj

Relating to Latvia, its people, or its language.

lau

verb

(dialectal) To lay or set something down onto a surface.

laud

noun

Praise or high admiration given to someone.

laudable

adjective

Deserving praise, especially for good intentions, even if the result falls short.

laudanum

noun

A tincture of opium once widely used as a painkiller, sedative, and recreational drug.

laudation

noun

The act of praising someone highly.

laudatory

adj

Expressing or full of praise.

Laude

name

A surname of Latin-derived origin, related to the word "laud," meaning praise.

lauder

noun

A person who praises or lauds someone highly.

Lauderdale

name

A Scottish surname and place name, also known through the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

laudits

noun

Thanks given to someone, especially in public.

laugh

verb

To make the sound and facial movements that show amusement or delight.

laughable

adj

So absurd or badly done that it deserves mockery rather than serious attention.

laughably

adv

In a way that seems silly enough to laugh at.

laugher

noun

A person who is laughing.

laughing

adj

Making the sound or expression of laughter.

Laughlin

name

An Irish surname, an anglicized form of a Gaelic name meaning "descendant of Lochlainn."

laughter

noun

The sound or act of laughing.

laughworthy

adj

Worth being laughed at.

launcelot

name

A boy's forename, a variant of Lancelot.

launch

verb

To send something (a rocket, ship, or projectile) into motion, often forcefully.

launched

verb

Past tense and past participle of launch: to have started or introduced something new to the public, such as a product, service, campaign or business.

launcher

noun

A device or piece of equipment used to launch something, such as a rocket or missile.

launching

noun

The act of launching something.

launder

verb

To wash and often iron clothes or fabric.

launderer

noun

A person who launders clothes as their job or trade.

launderette

noun

A place offering washing and drying facilities that members of the public can pay to use.

laundering

noun

The act of washing and ironing clothes, or the illegal act of disguising the origin of money.

laundrette

noun

Another British term for a launderette.

laundromat

noun

A self-service shop with coin- or card-operated washing machines and dryers.

laundry

noun

Clothes and linens that need washing, are being washed, or have just been washed.

Laura

name

A female given name derived from Latin, related to the word for "laurel."

laureate

noun

A person honored for outstanding achievement in a field, especially a Nobel Prize winner.

laurel

noun

An evergreen shrub with glossy, aromatic leaves, or a wreath made from its branches.

laurels

noun

Honors or recognition earned for achievement.

Lauren

name

A unisex given name derived from Latin, related to Laurence and Lawrence.

Laurence

name

A male given name derived from Latin, the counterpart of the female name Lauren.

Laurens

name

A masculine given name and surname, a Dutch and French form of Laurence.

Laurent

name

A French masculine given name, derived from Laurentius, meaning "from Laurentum" or "laurel-crowned."

lauretta

name

A female first name of Latin origin.

Lauri

name

A masculine given name common in Finland, a form of Laurence.

Laurie

name

A given name used for both men and women, a diminutive form of Laurence or Laura.

Lauryn

name

A feminine given name, a modern spelling variant of Lauren.

Lausanne

name

A city in Switzerland on Lake Geneva, known as the seat of the International Olympic Committee.

lautitious

adj

Extremely rich, luxurious and splendid.

lav

noun

A shortened form of 'lavatory'.

lava

noun

Molten rock that has erupted from a volcano onto the earth's surface, or the solid rock formed once it cools.

lavabo

noun

A church ceremony in which the hands are washed at the offertory before the Eucharist is handled.

lavage

noun

A medical washing or rinsing, especially of an internal organ or cavity.

lavatory

noun

A room containing a toilet, or the toilet itself.

lave

verb

To wash or bathe a person or thing.

lavender

noun

A fragrant purple-flowered plant of the mint family, or the pale purple color associated with it.

Laverne

name

A feminine given name of French origin, related to the word for "spring" or "alder tree," and a masculine name in some traditions.

Lavery

name

An Irish surname, an anglicized form of a Gaelic name meaning "descendant of the mariner."

Lavinia

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, borne in Roman legend by the wife of Aeneas.

lavish

adj

Given, spent, or produced in great and often extravagant abundance.

lavishly

adv

In a generous, extravagant way, spending a great deal.

lavishness

noun

The quality of being lavish, generous and extravagant.

lavvu

noun

A portable shelter used by the Sami of northern Europe, built along the same lines as a Native American tipi but with a lower, less upright shape that holds steadier in strong wind.

lavvy

noun

A toilet: a room where people urinate and defecate.

law

noun

The system of rules that a country or community uses to govern behavior and enforce order.

lawbreaker

noun

A person who does not obey the law; a criminal.

lawful

adj

Allowed or recognised by the law.

lawfully

adverb

In a way that follows the law.

lawfulness

noun

The quality of being lawful and obeying the law.

lawgiver

noun

A person who creates laws for a society.

lawks

intj

(informal, dated) Used to show surprise.

lawless

adj

Having no laws or effective government controlling it.

lawlessness

noun

A state where laws are absent or not enforced; disorder.

lawmaker

noun

A person who makes or passes laws.

lawmaking

noun

The process of creating or passing new laws.

lawman

noun

A law-enforcement officer, especially in a Western or frontier setting.

lawn

noun

An area of ground, usually next to a house, covered with closely cut grass.

Lawndale

name

A place name used for several towns and neighborhoods in the United States, describing a grassy valley.

lawnmower

noun

A machine used to cut grass to an even height.

lawrence

name

A male given name from Latin, the usual spelling of Laurence in the U.S.; masculine of Lauren

lawrencium

noun

A chemical element with the symbol Lr and atomic number 103, a transuranic element.

lawrie

name

A surname originating in Scotland.

Lawson

noun

A reddish-orange dye compound found naturally in henna leaves, used in hair and skin coloring.

lawsone

noun

The chemical compound that gives henna its colouring.

lawsuit

noun

A civil case brought before a court to settle a dispute between parties.