Dutch–English dictionary

licht

Having light; bright; clear; not dark or obscure.

licht ontvlambaar

Easily set on fire.

lichtbron

(archaic) An artificial light; an illumination.

lichtdeeltje

(particle) The quantum of light and other electromagnetic energy, regarded as a discrete particle having zero rest mass, no electric charge, and an indefinitely long lifetime. It is a gauge boson.

lichtdoorlatend

Allowing light to pass through, but diffusing it.

lichtelijk

(degree) To a small extent or degree.

lichten

(transitive) To set fire to; to set burning.

lichtend

Having light; bright; clear; not dark or obscure.

lichtend voorbeeld

One who is an inspiration to others; one who has achieved success in one's chosen field; a leading light.

lichter

A flat-bottomed boat for carrying heavy loads across short distances (especially for canals or for loading or unloading larger boats).

lichtgelovig

Excessively ready to believe things; gullible.

lichtgeraakt

Easily offended and ready to bicker.

lichtgeraaktheid

emotional sensitivity.

lichtgevend

Emitting light as a result of being heated.

lichtgewicht

Having less than average weight.

lichting

A person who has been drafted; a conscript or draftee.

lichtjes kleuren

(transitive) To add a small amount of colour; to tint; (by extension) to add a small amount of some other thing.

lichtpaars

Having a light purple colour.

lichtsabel

(science fiction) A sword having a blade made of a powerful beam of light or energy. [from 1977.]

lichtspoormunitie

A round of ammunition for a firearm that contains magnesium or another flammable substance arranged such that it will burn and produce a visible trail when fired in the dark.

lichtvaardig handelen

(intransitive) To deal with something as if it were of little importance or worth.

lichtvoetig

Quick and light in movement or action.

lichtzinnig

Silly, especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner; lacking a good reason for being, or for doing what one does; due to or moved by a whim or caprice.

lichtzinnigheid

A disrespectful levity or pertness especially in respect to grave or sacred matters.

lichtzwaard

(science fiction) A sword having a blade made of a powerful beam of light or energy. [from 1977.]

lid

A major appendage of human or animal, used for locomotion (such as an arm, leg or wing).

lid van een waakzaamheidscomité

A person who acts outside of legal authority, often violently, to punish or avenge a crime, right a perceived wrong, etc.

lid worden van

(transitive) To become a member of.

lidmaat

A major appendage of human or animal, used for locomotion (such as an arm, leg or wing).

lidmaatschap

(math) The fact of being a member of a set.

lidwoord

(grammar) A part of speech that indicates, specifies and limits a noun (a, an, or the in English). In some languages the article may appear as an ending (e.g. definite article in Swedish) or there may be none (e.g. Russian, Pashto).

Liechtenstein

A microstate in Central Europe. Official name: Principality of Liechtenstein. Capital: Vaduz.

lied

A ballad or sung poem; a short poem or narrative, usually intended to be sung.

liederlijk

Having given oneself up to vice; immoral; extremely wicked, or sinning without restraint; irreclaimably wicked. [First attested from 1350 to 1470]

liedje

(music) A musical composition with lyrics for voice or voices, performed by singing.

liedjesschrijver

(music) A musician who composes songs; especially writing the song's lyrics and/or creating a melody or a tune for the song.

liedtekst

The words to a song (or other vocal music).

lief

Much loved, dearly loved.

liefdadig

Possessing or manifesting love for mankind.

liefdadigheidsinstelling

(countable) An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose.

liefde

(countable) A person who is the object of romantic feelings; a darling, a sweetheart, a beloved.

liefdeloos

Without love.

liefdevol

Loving, affectionate, heartfelt

liefelijk

Delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace.

liefhebben

(usually, transitive, sometimes, _, intransitive, stative) To have a strong affection for (someone or something).

liefhebber

(informal) A person who is very interested in a particular subject.

liefhebber van zoet

(idiomatic, only in singular) A liking for foods that are sweet; a weakness for sweets.

liefhebberen

(intransitive, figuratively) To participate or have an interest in an activity in a casual or superficial way.

liefje

(informal) A form of address to a person considered to be attractive.

liefkozen

(transitive) To touch or kiss lovingly; to fondle.

lieflijk

Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition.

liefs

(countable) A person who is the object of romantic feelings; a darling, a sweetheart, a beloved.

liegen

(card games) A card game where the goal is to have no cards remaining in a hand, often by telling lies.

lier

(string instrument) An ancient stringed musical instrument (a yoke lute chordophone) of Greek origin, consisting of two arms extending from a body to a crossbar (a yoke), and strings, parallel to the soundboard, connecting the body to the yoke.

lies

The crease or depression of the human body at the junction of the trunk and the thigh, together with the surrounding region.

lieve

Often used as an affectionate term of address: a person who is very dear to one.

lieveheersbeestje

Any of the Coccinellidae family of beetles, typically having a round shape and red or yellow spotted elytra.

lievelingetje

One who is excessively loyal to a superior and receives preferential treatment.

lievenswaardig

(obsolete) Inspiring love or friendship; amiable.

liever

Used to specify a choice or preference; preferably, in preference to. (Now usually followed by than) [from 9th c.]

liever kwijt dan rijk

Used to indicate that a departure or loss is welcome.

lieverd

Often used as an affectionate term of address: a person who is very dear to one.

lievevrouwebedstro

An aromatic perennial plant, formerly used as a strewing herb, Galium odoratum (formerly Asperula odorata), with small white flowers.

lift

(UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, puristic, _, elsewhere) Mechanical device for vertically transporting goods or people between floors in a building.

lifter

A person or thing that hitchhikes.

liftkooi

The passenger compartment of a lift.

liftster

A person or thing that hitchhikes.

liga

A group or association of cooperating members.

ligament

(anatomy) A band of strong tissue that connects bones to other bones.

ligatuur

(uncountable) The act of tying or binding something.

ligbad

A large container for holding water in which a person may bathe (take a bath).

liggen

To occupy a place.

liggen hebben

(transitive) To consume, damage, or change the condition of, as if by action of fire or heat; to affect as fire or heat does.

liggen te wachten

(transitive) To be in store for; to be ready or in waiting for.

liggend

(computing, printing, uncountable) a mode of printing where the horizontal sides are longer than the vertical sides

ligging

Arrangement or relationship; layout.

light

Light in composition, notably low in fat, calories etc. Most commonly used commercially.

ligplaats

(by extension) A place for a vessel to lie at anchor or to moor.

ligstoel

(chiefly, _, UK) A reclining chair with a long seat, which can support the outstretched legs of a sitter normally with one armrest.

liguster

Any of various shrubs and small trees in the genus Ligustrum.

lij

(nautical) The side of the ship away from the wind.

lijdelijk

(grammar) Being in the passive voice.

lijden

A state of pain, suffering, distress or agony.

lijdend

(grammar) Being in the passive voice.

lijder

One who suffers; one who is afflicted.

lijf

A group of people having a common purpose or opinion; a mass. [from 16th c.]

lijfeigene

A partially free peasant of a low hereditary class, attached like a slave to the land owned by a feudal lord and required to perform labour, enjoying minimal legal or customary rights.

lijfeigenschap

The state of being a serf.

lijfgarde

A person or group of persons, often armed, responsible for protecting someone.

lijfje

(archaic) Particularly a corset or other undershirt stiffened with whalebone.

lijfrente

(insurance, pensions) A right to receive amounts of money regularly over a certain fixed period, in perpetuity, or, especially, over the remaining life or lives of one or more beneficiaries.

lijfrente afsluiten

(transitive, legal) To borrow against a property, to obtain a loan for another purpose by giving away the right of seizure to the lender over a fixed property such as a house or piece of land; to pledge a property in order to get a loan.

lijfrenteverzekering

(insurance, pensions) A right to receive amounts of money regularly over a certain fixed period, in perpetuity, or, especially, over the remaining life or lives of one or more beneficiaries.

lijfspreuk

(heraldry) A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement.

lijftocht

(legal) The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate.

lijfwacht

A person or group of persons, often armed, responsible for protecting someone.

lijk

An adjective suffix, now usually in a passive sense; forms adjectives meaning "able to be", "relevant or suitable to, in accordance with", or expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense.

lijkbaar

A litter to transport the corpse of a dead person.

lijkdoek

Especially, the dress for the dead; a winding sheet.

lijken

(intransitive, copulative) To seem; to have a certain semblance; to look.

lijkend op

Similar to, reminiscent of.

lijkenhuis

A building or room where dead bodies are kept before their proper burial or cremation, (now) particularly in legal and law enforcement contexts.

lijkenpikker

(mythology) A demon said to feed on corpses.

lijkgewaad

Especially, the dress for the dead; a winding sheet.

lijkkist

A grave, coffin, tomb, or sepulchral monument.

lijkkleed

A heavy cloth laid over a coffin or tomb; a shroud laid over a corpse.

lijks

Used to form adjectives from nouns specifying time intervals, the adjectives having the sense of "occurring at such intervals".

lijkschouwer

(Commonwealth, Ireland, Japan, legal) A public official who presides over an inquest into unnatural deaths, and who may have (or historically had) additional powers such as investigating cases of treasure trove.

lijkschouwing

A dissection performed on a cadaver to find possible cause(s) of death.

lijkverbranding

A burning; especially the act or practice of cremating the dead, burning a corpse.

lijkwade

Especially, the dress for the dead; a winding sheet.

lijkwagen

A carriage or vehicle specially adapted or used for transporting a dead person to the place of funeral or to the grave.

lijkzang

A mournful poem or piece of music composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person.

lijm

A hard gelatin made by boiling bones and hides, used in solution as an adhesive; or any sticky adhesive substance.

lijmen

(transitive) To join or attach something using glue.

lijn

(geometry) A one-dimensional face of a polytope. In particular, the joining line between two vertices of a polygon; the place where two faces of a polyhedron meet.

lijnboot

A large passenger-carrying ship, especially one on a regular route; an ocean liner.

lijnen

(intransitive) To lose weight in order to achieve slimness.

lijnental

Descent in a line from a common progenitor; progeny; descending line of offspring or ascending line of parentage.

lijngewaad

(archaic) Clothing collectively; clothes, dress.

lijnschip

A large passenger-carrying ship, especially one on a regular route; an ocean liner.

lijnstuk

(geometry, informal) A line segment; a continuous finite segment of such a figure.

lijnvliegtuig

A passenger-carrying aircraft, especially one of a fleet operated by an airline.

lijst

(computing) A structured listing of the names and characteristics of the files on a storage device.

lijster

Any of numerous species of songbirds of the cosmopolitan family Turdidae, such as the song thrush, mistle thrush, bluebird, and American robin.

lijsterbes

Any of several trees in the genus Sorbus in North America.

lijvig

Being large in size, mass, or volume; big, fat or muscular.

lijwaarts

On the side sheltered from the wind; in that direction.

lijzig spreken

(intransitive) To speak with a slow, spiritless utterance, as from affectation, laziness, or lack of interest.

lijzij

(nautical) The side of the ship away from the wind.

lijzijde

(nautical) The side of the ship away from the wind.

lijzijds

Away from the direction from which the wind is blowing; downwind.

lik

A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit; a dent; a depression; a fissure.

like

(internet) An individual vote showing support for, approval of, or enjoyment of, something posted on the Internet.

liken

(Internet, social media, transitive) To show support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet by marking it with a vote.

likeur

A flavored alcoholic beverage that is usually very sweet and contains a high percentage of alcohol.

lila

Having a pale purple colour.

Lima

The capital city of Peru.

limbo

(Roman Catholicism, uncountable) A speculation, thought possibly to be on the edge of the bottomless pit of Hell, where the souls of innocent deceased people might exist temporarily until they can enter heaven, specifically those of the saints who died before the advent of Jesus Christ (who occupy the limbo patrum or limbo of the patriarchs or fathers) and those of unbaptized infants (who occupy the limbo infantum or limbo of the infants); (countable) the possible place where each category of souls might exist, regarded separately. [from 15th c.]

limbus

(Roman Catholicism, uncountable) A speculation, thought possibly to be on the edge of the bottomless pit of Hell, where the souls of innocent deceased people might exist temporarily until they can enter heaven, specifically those of the saints who died before the advent of Jesus Christ (who occupy the limbo patrum or limbo of the patriarchs or fathers) and those of unbaptized infants (who occupy the limbo infantum or limbo of the infants); (countable) the possible place where each category of souls might exist, regarded separately. [from 15th c.]

limerick

A humorous, often bawdy verse of five anapaestic lines, with the rhyme scheme aabba, and typically having an 8–8–5–5–8 cadence.

limiet

(often, used in plural) A boundary, the border which one must cross in order to enter or leave a territory.

limiteren

To limit narrowly; to restrict.

limo

(UK, AU, NZ) A concentrated non-carbonated soft drink which is diluted with water before drinking.

limoen

Any of several green citrus fruit, somewhat smaller and sharper-tasting than a lemon.

limoenenboom

Any of the trees that bear limes, especially Key lime, Citrus aurantiifolia.

limonade

A drink made from a fruit, especially a fizzy one.

limousine

A luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. [from 1930s]

limpide

Clear, transparent or bright.

linde

The soft wood of such trees.