Etymology — The origins of English words

From Latin laudite, second-person plural imperative of laudere (“to praise”).

From long + hand, by analogy with shorthand.

Named after Lisle, France (now Lille), where it was first produced.

Attested from the 19th century, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Dutch log (“heavy, dull”).

Shortened form of liripipe.

Named after Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam (1756–1836), who invented the process of macadamization. Used for describing road surfaces originally constructed using the McAdam method, but now sometimes used for any road or street.

From Middle English lasken (“to diminish, weaken (the blood or other body fluids, body tissues, etc.); to thin (the blood through bloodletting); to alleviate (pain, sickness); to grow weak; to shorten (one’s life)”) [and other forms], from Old Northern French *lasquer, Old French lascher, laschier (“to let go of, release; to loosen, relax”) (modern French lâcher (“to let go of, release; to loosen”)), from Vulgar Latin *lascāre, *lassicāre, from Latin *laxicāre, the frequentative of Latin laxāre, the present active infinitive of laxō (“to relax, weaken; to release, undo; to make wide, open”), from laxus (“free, loose, slack; roomy, spacious, wide”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leg-, *(s)leh₁g- (“faint; weak”).

From the given name Luke.

From legal + -ness. Piecewise doublet of lealness and loyalness.

From lice + -y.

Clipping of masculine.

From Albanian Llap.

From knot + head.

From Middle English lawbreker, lawe brekare; equivalent to law + breaker.

From Latin lūbricus.

From Lusitania + -an.

From loon + -ie from the depiction of a loon on the reverse (tail-side) of the Canadian one-dollar coin.

From Afrikaans lekker, from Dutch lekker.

From New Latin marginālia (cf. margināle (neuter singular (adjective / noun)), from Medieval Latin neuter plural of marginālis (“on the periphery”), from Latin margō (“border, edge”). By surface analysis, marginal + -ia. Compare margin.

First attested in 1884; from malleus + -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

Used by Alfred Hitchcock, as an arbitrary Scottish surname. The actual name comes from Ulster: Mc- (“son of”) + Irish dubh (“black”) + Irish Fionn (literally “fairheaded”). See also Wikipedia's MacGuffin § History and use.

Compare horseback.

Borrowed from Latin Lutetia.

From krypton + -ate (verb-forming suffix).