French–English dictionary

lakota

The language spoken by the Lakota.

Lakshmi

The Hindu goddess of wealth, the consort of Vishnu and married to Rāma (in her incarnation as Sita) and Krishna (as Radha and Rukmini).

lama

A master of Tibetan Buddhism.

lamantin

Any of several plant-eating marine mammals, of the genus Trichechus, found in tropical regions.

lambda

The eleventh letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabet, the twelfth of the Old Greek alphabet.

lambdacisme

(phonology) A pronunciation shift whereby /l/ or other closely related phonemes are substituted for other sounds (typically /r/), as Sally for Sarah or Molly for Mary.

lambeau

(geology) A part of a formation separated from the rest of the formation by erosion.

Lambert

(countable) A en given name; in modern use partly transferred back from the surname.

lambin

(informal, derogatory) A lazy and slovenly or obese person.

lambiner

To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle.

Lamborghini

A motor car manufactured by the Lamborghini company.

lame

(chiefly, in the plural) A wave breaking into foam against the shore, or against a sandbank, or a rock or reef near the surface, considered a useful warning to ships of an underwater hazard

lame de boulanger

A kitchen tool for scoring bread dough before baking.

lamelle

(mycology) One of the radial folds on the underside of the cap of a mushroom, the surface of which bears the spore-producing organs.

lamentable

Deserving strong condemnation; shockingly bad, wretched.

lamentation

(uncountable) Whining speech, such as that used by beggars.

Lamia

A city in Greece.

lamie

(Greek mythology) A monster preying upon human beings, who sucked the blood of children, often described as having the head and breasts of a woman and the lower half of a serpent.

lamifié

Material formed of thin sheets glued together. [from 1939]

lamifier

(transitive) To assemble from thin sheets glued together to make a thicker sheet.

laminaire

Any of several large brown algae seaweeds (order Laminariales).

laminé

Multi-layer synthetic flooring product fused together with a lamination process and simulating wood.

laminer

(ergative) To press, level, spread, or form with a roller or rollers.

lampadaire

A lamp supported by a tall vertical pole in order that light comes from above those seated in the vicinity.

lampe

A device that generates heat, light or other radiation. Especially an electric light bulb.

lampe à souder

A tool which projects a controlled stream of a highly flammable gas over a spark in order to produce a controlled flame.

lampe de poche

(Canada, US, Philippines) A battery-powered hand-held light source.

lampe torche

(Canada, US, Philippines) A battery-powered hand-held light source.

lampée

(by extension) A long draught from a drink. [from 1620s]

lamper

To drink or imbibe with vigour or relish; to drink copiously; to swallow in large draughts. [from mid-16th c.]

lampiste

(informal, sometimes, derogatory) A scapegoat.

lampotte

Any of various gastropods with a conical shell shape patelliform and a strong, muscular foot that they use to create strong suction to cling onto rocks or other hard surfaces.

Lancastre

The House of Lancaster, a dynasty of English kings and one of the opposing factions involved in the 15th century Wars of the Roses. The name comes from the fact that its members were descended from John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster; their symbol was a red rose.

lancé

An act of throwing, often violently.

lance-flamme

A device that projects a flame for starting fires, and sometimes also additional fuel to help ignition. Used either as a weapon or a tool.

lance-pierre

(chiefly, American, AU, Philippines) A Y-shaped stick with an elastic sling between the arms used for shooting small projectiles.

lance-roquette

(by extension) Any shoulder-fired rocket grenade launcher.

lancement

(football, American football) The opening kick of each half of a game of football.

lancer

(nautical) To bring the bows of a sailing ship on to the required tack just as the anchor is weighed by use of the headsail; to bring (a ship) round. [from 18th c.]

lancer avec force

(transitive, kickball) To throw a ball at (someone), to hit (someone) with a ball.

lancer en chandelle

(transitive) To throw or hit a ball into the air in a high arc.

lancer haut

(transitive) To throw or hit a ball into the air in a high arc.

lancer un regard

To turn (one's eyes or look) at something, often briefly.

lancer un regard noir

(intransitive) To look or stare with anger. [from late 15th c.]

lanceur

(aerospace) The first stage of a multistage rocket, providing primary or supplemental thrust for liftoff and early flight.

lanceuse

(baseball, softball) The player who delivers the ball to the batter.

lancier

(military) A cavalry soldier armed with a lance weapon.

landau

A type of lightweight, four-wheeled carriage in which the front and back passenger seats face each other.

lande

Used to form the name of a territory, country, or region.

langage

(Commonwealth, politics) A response given by each of the Houses of Parliament to the sovereign's speech at the opening of Parliament.

langer

To put diapers on someone.

langoureux

lacking energy, spirit, liveliness or vitality; languid, lackadaisical.

langoustine

A small European lobster of the species Nephrops norvegicus.

langue

The shelf- or bracket-shaped fruiting body of a bracket fungus (also called a shelf fungus), i.e. a mushroom growing off a tree trunk.

langue chinoise

(uncountable) The branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family including Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Southern Min, and other closely related language varieties and dialects.

langue créole

(linguistics) A language formed from two or more languages which has developed from a pidgin to become a first language.

langue de bois

(informal, pejorative) A style of language, used by bureaucrats, that involves jargon or euphemism to the detriment of broader understanding.

langue de Tolstoï

(uncountable) The Russian language.

langue des signes

(uncountable) Sign language in general.

langue française

(chiefly, _, uncountable) The language of France, shared by the neighboring countries Belgium, Monaco, and Switzerland and by former French colonies around the world.

langue indonésienne

(uncountable) The common language spoken in Indonesia.

langue nationale

The language of a people or a national language.

langue russe

(uncountable) The Russian language.

langue véhiculaire

A common language used by people of diverse backgrounds to communicate with one another, often a basic form of speech with simplified grammar, particularly, one that is not the first language of any of its speakers.

langue verte

Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.

langue vulgaire

Indigenous spoken language, as distinct from a literary or liturgical language such as Ecclesiastical Latin.

languette

A loop (leather or other material) sewn at the side or top rear of a boot to help in pulling the boot on.

langueur

(uncountable) A state of the body or mind caused by exhaustion or disease and characterized by a languid or weary feeling; lassitude; (countable) an instance of this.

languide

Showing no interest, vigor, determination, or enthusiasm.

languir

(intransitive) To pine away in longing for something; to have low spirits, especially from lovesickness. [from 14th c.]

languissant

Having an aching desire for one's beloved.

lanière

(by extension) A cord worn around the neck, shoulder, or wrist which is attached to a small object to be carried such as an identity card or security pass, key, knife, or whistle.

lanterner

To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle.

lanthane

(uncountable) A chemical element (symbol La) with an atomic number of 57: a soft, ductile, silvery-white metal that tarnishes slowly when exposed to air.

lantiponner

(intransitive) To talk superficially; to babble, chatter.

lao

Of, from, or pertaining to Laos, the Lao people or their Kra-Dai Lao language.

Lao Tseu

(Chinese history) An honorific title for the legendary Taoist philosopher Li Er, who supposedly lived in the 6th and 5th centuries BC and (Chinese mythology) has subsequently been worshipped as a Taoist god.

Laos

A country in Southeast Asia. Official name: Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Capital: Vientiane.

laotien

Of, from, or pertaining to Laos, the Lao people or their Kra-Dai Lao language.

Laotienne

(countable) A Tai ethnic group native to Southeast Asia.

Laozi

(Chinese history) An honorific title for the legendary Taoist philosopher Li Er, who supposedly lived in the 6th and 5th centuries BC and (Chinese mythology) has subsequently been worshipped as a Taoist god.

lapalissade

(countable) An expression that features tautology.

laper

(ambitransitive) To take (liquid) into the mouth with the tongue; to lick up with a quick motion of the tongue.

lapereau

(informal, childish) A rabbit, especially a juvenile one.

lapidation

(legal) The practice or act of stoning, sometimes to the point of death, as punishment

lapider

(transitive, legal) To throw stones or other objects at, as punishment, sometimes until death.

lapin à queue blanche

A rabbit of any of various species in genus Sylvilagus.

lapin angora

A rabbit belonging to the Angora rabbit breed, one of the oldest domestic breeds of rabbits in the world, raised chiefly in Europe for its silky and long hair (a subspecies of the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus).

lapin de Floride

A rabbit of any of various species in genus Sylvilagus.

lapine

A female rabbit.

lapon

Relating to the Sami people of northern Scandinavia, or the Sami languages.

laptop

(computing) Ellipsis of notebook computer (“laptop computer”).

laquais

(pejorative) Someone who works for (and may be taken advantage of by) someone else.

laque

A usually scented hairstyling product in aerosol form that stiffens the hair, so it stays in a certain hairstyle.

laquelle

(relative, formal, _, outside certain phrases) Designates the one(s) previously mentioned.

laquer

To apply a lacquer to something or to give something a smooth, glossy finish.

Lara

A en given name.

larbin

(British, Ireland) A person who does menial work, a servant.

larbiner

(intransitive) To be slavishly nice to someone or apologize in the hope of securing something.

larcin

(transitive) To illegally take possession of (something, especially items of low value); to pilfer, to steal.

lard

Cured meat from the sides, belly, or back of a pig.

lardon

Cured meat from the sides, belly, or back of a pig.

Laredo

A city in north Tamaulipas, Mexico.

largage

(countable) The action of jettisoning items.

large

Having a large measure of any thing or quality; unlimited; unrestrained.

largement

(idiomatic) with big margins, with a huge difference

largeur

The measurement of the extent of something from side to side.

larguer

(transitive) To discard or abandon.

larguer par parachute

To deliver goods, equipment, or personnel by dropping them from an aircraft in flight.

larme

(also, figuratively) A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.

larmoyant

Affectionate or sentimental in an effusive, tearful, or foolish manner, especially because of drunkenness. [from 17th c.]

larmoyer

(intransitive) To produce tears.

larve

(countable) An insect at an immature stage of its life cycle.

laryngé

(anatomy, relational) Of or pertaining to the larynx.

laryngien

(anatomy, relational) Of or pertaining to the larynx.

laryngique

(anatomy, relational) Of or pertaining to the larynx.

laryngite

An inflammation of the larynx, typically resulting in hoarseness.

larynx

(anatomy, zootomy) A hollow muscular organ of the neck of mammals situated just below where the tract of the pharynx splits into the trachea and the oesophagus. It is involved in breath control and protection of the trachea, and, as it houses the vocal cords, sound production.

las

(informal, idiomatic) Frustrated, annoyed, or tired, to the limit of one's endurance, especially by something that one has experienced for too long. [with with or (British English) of]

lascif

Wanton; lewd, driven by lust, lustful.

laser

A beam of light produced by such a device; a laser beam.

lasser

(ambitransitive) To make or to become weary.

latent

Existing or present but concealed or inactive.

latéralement

Done in a lateral manner.

latex

The milky sap of several trees that coagulates on exposure to air; used to make rubber.

latin

(uncountable) The language of the ancient Romans, other Latins and of the Roman Catholic church, especially Classical Latin.

latina

(chiefly, US) A person, especially and usually (interpreted as) a male, from Latin America, a Hispanic person. (Compare Latina.)

latino

(chiefly, US) A person, especially and usually (interpreted as) a male, from Latin America, a Hispanic person. (Compare Latina.)

latitude

(geography) An imaginary line (in the form of a circumference) around a planet running parallel to the planet's equator.

latrine

(India, otherwise, _, military) Any facility or device used for urination or defecation, whether toilet, lavatory, or outhouse.

latrines

(India, otherwise, _, military) Any facility or device used for urination or defecation, whether toilet, lavatory, or outhouse.

latte

A thin, narrow strip, fastened to the rafters, studs, or floor beams of a building, for the purpose of supporting a covering of tiles, plastering, etc.

lattis

(crystallography) A regular spacing or arrangement of geometric points, often decorated with a motif.

laudanum

Any of several tinctures of opium, once widely used for various medical purposes and as a recreational drug.

laudateur

Of or pertaining to praise, or the expression of praise.

laudatif

In the nature of a compliment.

Laura

A en given name.

Laure

A en given name.

lauréat

(sometimes, _, postpositive) Crowned, or decked, with laurel.

lauréate

(sometimes, _, postpositive) Crowned, or decked, with laurel.

Laurent

A en given name.

laurier

An evergreen shrub of species Laurus nobilis, having aromatic leaves of a lanceolate shape, with clusters of small, yellowish white flowers in their axils.

lauriers

(by extension) Any reward of victory or mark of honor.

Lausanne

A municipality and city, the capital of Vaud canton, in western Switzerland, in which French is the main language.

lauze

A flat, rectangular piece of rock or stone used for paving or roofing.

lavabo

A wide bowl for washing, sometimes affixed to a wall.

lavage

The process or an instance of washing or being washed by water or other liquid.

lavage de cerveau

A form of indoctrination that forces people to abandon their beliefs in favour of another set of beliefs by conditioning through various forms of pressure or torture.

lavande

Having a pale purple colour.

lavasse

Thin or watery.