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English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

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“L” Words

length
noun
The measurement of something from one end to the other, along its longest side.
lengthen
verb
To make something longer, or to become longer.
lengthy
adj
Going on for a long time, often longer than expected or wanted.
leniency
noun
Mercy or a light touch when it comes to punishing someone.
lenient
adj
Not strict; willing to allow mistakes or wrongdoing without harsh punishment.
Lenin
name
A surname, the revolutionary alias of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, founder of the Soviet state.
Leningrad
name
The former name of the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, used from 1924 to 1991 in honor of Vladimir Lenin.
Lennon
name
An Irish surname, also used as a given name, famously borne by musician John Lennon.
Lennox
name
A Scottish surname and given name derived from a place name meaning "field of elms."
Lenny
name
A masculine given name, a diminutive form of Leonard.
leno
noun
A light, open-weave fabric used mainly for curtains, made by twisting pairs of threads around each other.
Lenora
name
A feminine given name, a variant form of Eleanor or Leonora.
Lenore
name
A feminine given name, a variant of Eleanor, notably used in Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven."
Lenox
name
A surname and place name, a variant spelling of Lennox.
lens
noun
A curved piece of glass or plastic that bends light to focus or spread it out, used in glasses, cameras, and telescopes.
Lent
verb
Past tense and past participle of lend.
lentil
noun
A small, disc-shaped edible seed from a legume plant, commonly dried and used in soups and stews.
Leo
noun
The zodiac sign covering roughly late July to late August, symbolised by the lion.
Leon
name
A masculine given name of Greek origin, meaning "lion."
Leona
name
A female given name, the feminine form of Leo/Leon, ultimately meaning "lioness."
Leonard
name
A masculine given name of Germanic origin, meaning "brave lion" or "lion-hearted."
Leonardo
name
A male given name, the Italian form of Leonard.
leone
noun
The main unit of currency of Sierra Leone, divided into 100 cents.
Leonid
noun
A meteor belonging to the Leonid shower, an annual display of shooting stars that appears to radiate from the constellation Leo each November.
Leonidas
name
A masculine given name of Greek origin, meaning "son of the lion," borne by the Spartan king who fought at Thermopylae.
Leonie
name
A feminine given name, a French and German form of Leona, meaning "lioness."
Leonora
name
A feminine given name of Italian origin, a short form of Eleonora, cognate to Eleanor.
leopard
noun
A large wild cat with a yellow or tan coat covered in dark rosette-shaped spots, found across Africa and Asia.
Leopold
name
A masculine given name of Germanic origin, common in the 19th century but rare today.
leotard
noun
A tight, one-piece garment covering the torso, often worn for gymnastics, dance, or exercise.
leper
noun
A person suffering from leprosy, a disease that damages the skin and nerves.
leprechaun
noun
A small, mischievous fairy from Irish folklore, usually pictured as an old man in green who guards a pot of gold.
Leroy
name
A French surname meaning "the king", also used as a masculine given name in English.
Les
name
A diminutive of the given names Lester or Leslie.
lesbian
adj
Describing a woman who is romantically or sexually attracted to other women.
lesbo
noun
A lesbian.
Lesbos
name
An island of Greece in the northeastern Aegean Sea.
lesion
noun
An area of damaged or diseased tissue, such as a wound, sore, or abnormal patch on the skin or an organ.
Lesley
name
A Scottish surname, also used as a given name for both men and women, especially popular for girls in the mid-20th century UK.
Leslie
name
A Scottish surname, also used as a unisex given name; also the name of several villages in Scotland.
less
adj
Smaller in amount, degree, or quantity; not as much.
lessen
verb
To make something smaller in size, degree, or intensity; to reduce it.
lesser
adj
Smaller, less important, or of lower rank, especially when comparing two things.
Lessing
name
A German surname.
lesson
noun
A single period of teaching, or a fixed unit within a course of study.
lest
conj
Used to introduce something that must be avoided or guarded against; so that not; in case.
Lester
name
An English surname derived from the place name Leicester, also used as a masculine given name.
let
verb
To allow someone or something to do a particular thing, or to happen without stopping it.
lethal
adj
Capable of causing death; deadly.
lethargic
adj
Lacking energy or enthusiasm; sluggish and drowsy.
lethargy
noun
A lack of energy and enthusiasm; sluggishness or drowsiness.
Letitia
name
A feminine given name of Latin origin, popular in medieval England and now rather rare.
Leto
name
In Greek mythology, the mother of Apollo and Artemis; also used as a surname.
letter
noun
A written symbol representing a sound of a language, used to build words; one character of the alphabet.
letterbox
noun
A slot or box, typically at the front of a house, through which mail is delivered.
letterhead
noun
Printed heading at the top of a sheet of stationery, showing the sender's name, logo, and address.
lettering
noun
Letters or words that have been written, drawn, or printed, especially in a decorative style.
letterman
noun
A student who has attained a specified level of participation in a sporting or other activity, and is awarded a cloth “letter” to be affixed to an item of clothing.
letters
noun
Literature and the study of writing, especially as an academic subject; scholarly or literary knowledge.
Lettie
name
A diminutive of the feminine given names Letitia or Lettice.
letting
noun
The renting out of a property to a tenant, or the property itself.
lettuce
noun
A leafy green vegetable, or its leaves, commonly eaten raw in salads.
Letty
name
A diminutive of the female given name Letitia.
leukemia
noun
A type of cancer that affects blood cells, usually causing the body to produce abnormal white blood cells.
Leung
name
A Chinese (Cantonese) surname.
lev
noun
The basic monetary unit of Bulgaria, divided into 100 stotinki.
levee
noun
An embankment built along a river to prevent flooding.
level
adj
Flat and even; at the same height throughout, or matching a given height.
lever
noun
A rigid bar that pivots on a fixed point, used to lift or move something with less effort.
leverage
noun
Power or influence used to get an advantage or achieve a desired result.
leveraged
adj
Financed largely through borrowed money in order to boost potential returns.
Levi
name
In the Bible, the third son of Jacob, ancestor of the Israelite tribe of Levi.
leviathan
noun
A huge and immensely powerful sea creature, often from Biblical or mythological tradition.
levin
noun
Lightning, or a flash of bright light (a poetic or archaic word).
Levine
name
A Jewish surname derived from Hebrew.
Levinson
name
A Jewish surname originating as a patronymic meaning "son of Levin".
levitate
verb
To make something rise and float in the air, seemingly without support.
levitation
noun
The apparent raising of a person or object into the air without any visible physical support.
Leviticus
name
The third book of the Torah and of the Old Testament, dealing largely with priestly law.
levity
noun
A lighthearted, joking attitude, especially when a situation calls for seriousness.
levy
verb
To officially impose and collect a tax, fine, or other charge.
Lew
name
A diminutive of the male given name Lewis.
lewd
adj
Sexually indecent or vulgar in a crude, offensive way.
Lewicki
name
A Polish surname.
Lewis
noun
A metal clamp or pin fitted into a slot cut in a large stone block, used to lift it with a crane.
Lewton
name
A surname.
lex
noun
A law, especially one from ancient Roman legal tradition.
Lexa
name
A feminine given name, a short form of Alexa or Alexandra.
Lexi
name
A diminutive of the feminine given names Alexa, Alexandra, Alexia, or Alexis.
lexicon
noun
The full stock of words in a language, in a field, or known to a particular person.
Lexie
name
A female nickname, diminutive of the given names Alexis, Alexia, Alexandra or Alexandria.
Lexington
name
The site of one of the opening battles of the American Revolutionary War, in Massachusetts, and the name of several cities and towns across the United States named after it.
Lexus
noun
A brand of luxury car made by Toyota, often used loosely to mean any high-end automobile.
ley
adj
Left unplanted or given over to grass and pasture rather than crops, of farmland.
Leyla
name
A feminine given name of Arabic origin, a variant of Leila.
Leyland
name
A town in Lancashire, England; also an English surname and the name of a former truck and bus manufacturer.
Leyton
name
A suburban area of Waltham Forest in Greater London, England; also a surname and unisex given name.
LGBT
adj
Relating to or describing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people collectively.
Lhasa
name
The capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China.
li
noun
A traditional Chinese unit of distance, now standardized at about half a kilometer.
liabilities
noun
Debts or financial obligations that a person or company must eventually pay.
liability
noun
A legal or financial responsibility for a debt, loss, or obligation.
liable
adj
Legally or financially responsible for something.
liaise
verb
To communicate and work with another person or group in order to coordinate or reach agreement.
liaison
noun
A person who acts as a link between two groups, passing information back and forth.
Liam
name
A male given name, originally an Irish short form of William, now widely used across the English-speaking world.
Lian
name
A surname, of either Chinese or Norwegian origin.
liana
noun
A long, woody vine that climbs up trees, typically found in tropical rainforests.
liang
noun
A traditional Chinese unit of weight, roughly 40 grams, historically also used to measure silver currency.
liao
particle
(Chinese, and in Singlish/Manglish) A word placed at the end of a sentence to show that an action is finished or a situation has changed.
Liaoxi
name
A former province in northeast China (1949-1954), now part of Liaoning and Jilin provinces.
liar
noun
A person who tells lies, especially someone who does so often.
lib
noun
Shortened, informal form of "liberation," especially in political or social movements.
Libby
name
A diminutive of the feminine given names Elizabeth or Isabel; also a surname and a city in Montana, US.
libel
noun
A false published statement — written, printed, or pictured — that damages someone's reputation.
liberal
adj
Generous, open-handed, or given freely and in large amounts.
liberalism
noun
A political philosophy centred on individual freedom, equal rights, and government by consent, often paired with support for reform.
Liberals
name
Short for a Liberal Party, especially the Liberal Party of Australia or of the UK.
liberate
verb
To set someone or something free from confinement, control, or oppression.
liberated
adj
Freed from restrictive traditional attitudes, especially around social or sexual matters.
liberating
adj
Freeing, especially in a way that opens the mind to new possibilities.
liberation
noun
The act of setting someone or something free, or the state of having been freed.
liberator
noun
A person who frees others from captivity or oppression.
Liberia
name
A country on the west coast of Africa, officially the Republic of Liberia.
libertarian
noun
Someone who champions personal liberty and minimal government interference in people's lives and choices.
libertine
noun
A person, especially a man, who ignores conventional moral standards and pursues pleasure freely.
liberty
noun
Freedom from oppressive restriction or control; the state of being free to act, speak, or believe as one chooses.
libido
noun
Sexual desire or drive.
Libra
name
A zodiac constellation traditionally pictured as a set of scales.
librarian
noun
A person who manages, organizes, and helps people use a library's collection.
library
noun
A building or institution that holds books and other media for people to borrow or use.
libre
adj
Free from restriction, especially regarding software whose source code can be freely accessed and modified.
Libya
name
A country in North Africa, with Tripoli as its capital.
Libyan
adj
Relating to Libya, its people, or its culture.
licence
noun
The standard British, Canadian, Australian, and Irish spelling of license (used as a noun).
license
verb
To give official permission or authorization to do something.
licensed
adj
Officially authorized by a licence to do something.
licensing
noun
The process of granting official permission or authorization to do something.
lichen
noun
A slow-growing organism formed by algae and fungi living together, often seen as pale or greenish patches on rocks, trees, or walls.
lick
verb
To pass the tongue over something.
licked
adj
Having been touched by a tongue.
licking
noun
The act of passing the tongue over something.
licorice
noun
A plant whose root has a strong, sweet flavour, or the flavour itself used in candy and other products.
lid
noun
A removable cover for the top of a container.
Lida
name
A feminine given name.
Liddell
name
A surname, from a valley name in the Scottish Borders.
Liddy
name
An affectionate short form of the female name Lydia.
Lidia
name
A female first name, a less common spelling of Lydia, ultimately from Ancient Greek.
lido
noun
An outdoor public swimming pool, or a section of beach set aside for swimming.
lidocaine
noun
A drug used as a local anaesthetic to numb pain, and also to treat irregular heartbeats.