Leach, n. (Naut.) See 3d Leech.

Leach, n. [Written also letch.] [Cf. As. leáh lye, G. lauge. See Lye.]
1. A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali.
2. A tub or vat for leaching ashes, bark, etc. Leach tub, a wooden tub in which ashes are leached.

Leach, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Leached p. pr. & vb. n. Leaching.] [Written also leech and letch.]
1. To remove the soluble constituents from by subjecting to the action of percolating water or other liquid; as to leach ashes or coffee.
2. To dissolve out; — often used with out; as to leach out alkali from ashes.

Leach, v. i. To part with soluble constituents by percolation.

Leach, n. See Leech, a physician. [Obs.]

Lead (led), n. [OE. led, leed, lead, AS. leád; akin to D. lood, MHG. lot, G. loth plummet, sounding lead, small weight, Sw. & Dan. lod. rad.123.]
1. (Chem.) One of the elements, a heavy, pliable, inelastic metal, having a bright, bluish color, but easily tarnished. It is both malleable and ductile, though with little tenacity, and is used for tubes, sheets, bullets, etc. Its specific gravity is 11.37. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic weight, 206.4. Symbol Pb (L. Plumbum). It is chiefly obtained from the mineral galena, lead sulphide.
2. An article made of lead or an alloy of lead; as: (a) A plummet or mass of lead, used in sounding at sea. (b) (Print.) A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing. (c) Sheets or plates of lead used as a covering for roofs; hence, pl. , a roof covered with lead sheets or terne plates.
"I would have the tower two stories, and goodly leads upon the top." Bacon
3. A small cylinder of black lead or plumbago, used in pencils. Black lead, graphite or plumbago; — so called from its leadlike appearance and streak. [Colloq.] — Coasting lead, a sounding lead intermediate in weight between a hand lead and deep-sea lead. — Deep- sea lead, the heaviest of sounding leads, used in water exceeding a hundred fathoms in depth. Ham. Nav. Encyc. — Hand lead, a small lead use for sounding in shallow water. — Krems lead, Kremnitz lead [so called from Krems or Kremnitz, in Austria], a pure variety of white lead, formed into tablets, and called also Krems, or Kremnitz, white, and Vienna white. — Lead arming, tallow put in the hollow of a sounding lead. See To arm the lead (below). — Lead colic. See under Colic. — Lead color, a deep bluish gray color, like tarnished lead. — Lead glance. (Min.) Same as Galena. — Lead line (a) (Med.) A dark line along the gums produced by a deposit of metallic lead, due to lead poisoning. (b) (Naut.) A sounding line. — Lead mill, a leaden polishing wheel, used by lapidaries. — Lead ocher (Min.), a massive sulphur-yellow oxide of lead. Same as Massicot. — Lead pencil, a pencil of which the marking material is graphite (black lead). — Lead plant (Bot.), a low leguminous plant, genus Amorpha ( A. canescens), found in the Northwestern United States, where its presence is supposed to indicate lead ore. Gray. — Lead tree. (a) (Bot.) A West Indian name for the tropical, leguminous tree, Leucaena glauca; — probably so called from the glaucous color of the foliage. (b) (Chem.) Lead crystallized in arborescent forms from a solution of some lead salt, as by suspending a strip of zinc in lead acetate. — Mock lead, a miner’s term for blende. — Red lead, a scarlet, crystalline, granular powder, consisting of minium when pure, but commonly containing several of the oxides of lead. It is used as a paint or cement and also as an ingredient of flint glass. — Red lead ore (Min.), crocoite. — Sugar of lead, acetate of lead. — To arm the lead, to fill the hollow in the bottom of a sounding lead with tallow in order to discover the nature of the bottom by the substances adhering. Ham. Nav. Encyc. — Tocast, or heave, the lead, to cast the sounding lead for ascertaining the depth of water. — White lead, hydrated carbonate of lead, obtained as a white, amorphous powder, and much used as an ingredient of white paint.

Lead, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Leaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Leading.]
1. To cover, fill, or affect with lead; as continuous firing leads the grooves of a rifle.
2. (Print.) To place leads between the lines of; as to lead a page; leaded matter.

Lead (led), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Led (led); p. pr. & vb. n. Leading.] [OE. leden, AS. laedan (akin to OS. ledian, D. leiden, G. leiten, Icel. leiða, Sw. leda, Dan. lede), properly a causative fr. AS. liðan to go; akin to OHG. lidan, Icel. liða, Goth. leiþan (in comp.). Cf. Lode, Loath.]
1. To guide or conduct with the hand, or by means of some physical contact or connection; as a father leads a child; a jockey leads a horse with a halter; a dog leads a blind man.
"If a blind man lead a blind man, both fall down in the ditch." Wyclif (Matt. xv. 14.)
"They thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill." Luke iv. 29.
"In thy right hand lead with thee The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty." Milton.
2. To guide or conduct in a certain course, or to a certain place or end, by making the way known; to show the way, esp. by going with or going in advance of. Hence, figuratively: To direct; to counsel; to instruct; as to lead a traveler; to lead a pupil.
"The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way." Ex. xiii. 21.
"He leadeth me beside the still waters." Ps. xxiii. 2.
"This thought might lead me through the world’s vain mask. Content, though blind, had I no better guide." Milton.
3. To conduct or direct with authority; to have direction or charge of; as to lead an army, an exploring party, or a search; to lead a political party.
"Christ took not upon him flesh and blood that he might conquer and rule nations, lead armies, or possess places." South.
4. To go or to be in advance of; to precede; hence, to be foremost or chief among; as the big sloop led the fleet of yachts; the Guards led the attack; Demosthenes leads the orators of all ages.
"As Hesperus, that leads the sun his way." Fairfax.
"And lo ! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest." Leigh Hunt.
5. To draw or direct by influence, whether good or bad; to prevail on; to induce; to entice; to allure; as to lead one to espouse a righteous cause.
"He was driven by the necessities of the times, more than led by his own disposition, to any rigor of actions." Eikon Basilike.
"Silly women, laden with sins, led away by divers lusts." 2 Tim. iii. 6 (Rev. Ver.).
6. To guide or conduct one’s self in, through, or along (a certain course); hence, to proceed in the way of; to follow the path or course of; to pass; to spend. also to cause (one) to proceed or follow in (a certain course).
"That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life." 1 Tim. ii. 2.
"Nor thou with shadowed hint confuse A life that leads melodious days." Tennyson.
"You remember … the life he used to lead his wife and daughter." Dickens.
7. (Cards & Dominoes) To begin a game, round, or trick, with; as to lead trumps; the double five was led. To lead astray, to guide in a wrong way, or into error; to seduce from truth or rectitude. — To lead captive, to carry or bring into captivity. — To lead the way, to show the way by going in front; to act as guide. Goldsmith.

Lead, v. i.
1. To guide or conduct, as by accompanying, going before, showing, influencing, directing with authority, etc.; to have precedence or preëminence; to be first or chief; — used in most of the senses of lead, v. t.
2. To tend or reach in a certain direction, or to a certain place; as the path leads to the mill; gambling leads to other vices.
"The mountain foot that leads towards Mantua." Shak. To leadoff or out, to go first; to begin.

Lead, n.
1. The act of leading or conducting; guidance; direction; as to take the lead; to be under the lead of another.
"At the time I speak of, and having a momentary lead, … I am sure I did my country important service." Burke.
2. Precedence; advance position; also the measure of precedence; as the white horse had the lead; a lead of a boat’s length, or of half a second.
3. (Cards & Dominoes) The act or right of playing first in a game or round; the card suit, or piece, so played; as your partner has the lead.
4. An open way in an ice field. Kane.
5. (Mining) A lode.
6. (Naut.) The course of a rope from end to end.
7. (Steam Engine) The width of port opening which is uncovered by the valve, for the admission or release of steam, at the instant when the piston is at end of its stroke. When used alone it means outside lead, or lead for the admission of steam. Inside lead refers to the release or exhaust.
8. (Civil Engineering) the distance of haul, as from a cutting to an embankment.
9. (Horology) The action of a tooth, as a tooth of a wheel, in impelling another tooth or a pallet. Saunier. Lead angle (Steam Engine), the angle which the crank maker with the line of centers, in approaching it, at the instant when the valve opens to admit steam. — Lead screw (Mach.), the main longitudinal screw of a lathe, which gives the feed motion to the carriage.

Lead, n.
1. (Music.) (a) The announcement by one voice part of a theme to be repeated by the other parts. (b) A mark or a short passage in one voice part, as of a canon, serving as a cue for the entrance of others.
2. In an internal-combustion engine, the distance, measured in actual length of piston stroke or the corresponding angular displacement of the crank, of the piston from the end of the compression stroke when ignition takes place; — called in full lead of the ignition. When ignition takes place during the working stroke the corresponding distance from the commencement of the stroke is called negative lead.
3. (Mach.) The excess above a right angle in the angle between two consecutive cranks, as of a compound engine, on the same shaft.
4. (Mach.) In spiral screw threads, worm wheels, or the like, the amount of advance of any point in the spiral for a complete turn.
5. (Elec.) (a) A conductor conveying electricity, as from a dynamo. (b) The angle between the line joining the brushes of a continuous-current dynamo and the diameter symmetrical between the poles. (c) The advance of the current phase in an alternating circuit beyond that of the electromotive force producing it.
6. (Theat.) A rôle for a leading man or leading woman; also one who plays such a rôle.

Leaded
Lead´ed, a.
1. Fitted with lead; set in lead; as leaded windows.
2. (Print.) Separated by leads, as the lines of a page.

Leaden
Lead´en, a.
1. Made of lead; of the nature of lead; as a leaden ball.
2. Like lead in color, etc.; as a leaden sky.
3. Heavy; dull; sluggish. "Leaden slumber." Shak.

Leader
Lead´er, n.
1. One who, or that which, leads or conducts; a guide; a conductor. Especially: (a) One who goes first. (b) One having authority to direct; a chief; a commander. (c) (Mus.) A performer who leads a band or choir in music; also in an orchestra, the principal violinist; the one who plays at the head of the first violins. (d) (Naut.) A block of hard wood pierced with suitable holes for leading ropes in their proper places. (e) (Mach.) The principal wheel in any kind of machinery. [Obs. or R.] G. Francis. (f) A horse placed in advance of others; one of the forward pair of horses.
"He forgot to pull in his leaders, and they gallop away with him at times." Hare. (g) A pipe for conducting rain water from a roof to a cistern or to the ground; a conductor. (h) (Fishing) A net for leading fish into a pound, weir, etc.; also a line of gut, to which the snell of a fly hook is attached. (i) (Mining) A branch or small vein, not important in itself, but indicating the proximity of a better one.
2. The first, or the principal, editorial article in a newspaper; a leading or main editorial article.
3. (Print.) (a) A type having a dot or short row of dots upon its face. (b) pl. a row of dots, periods, or hyphens, used in tables of contents, etc., to lead the eye across a space to the right word or number.
Syn. — chief; chieftain; commander. See Chief.

Leadhillite
Lead´hill•ite, n. (Min.) A mineral of a yellowish or greenish white color, consisting of the sulphate and carbonate of lead; — so called from having been first found at Leadhills, Scotland.

Leading
Lead´ing, a. Guiding; directing; controlling; foremost; as a leading motive; a leading man; a leading example. — Lead´ing•ly, adv. Leading case (Law), a reported decision which has come to be regarded as settling the law of the question involved. Abbott. — Leading motive [a translation of G. leitmotif] (Mus.), a guiding theme; in the modern music drama of Wagner, a marked melodic phrase or short passage which always accompanies the reappearance of a certain person, situation, abstract idea, or allusion in the course of the play; a sort of musical label. — Leading note (Mus.), the seventh note or tone in the ascending major scale; the sensible note. — Leading question, a question so framed as to guide the person questioned in making his reply. — Leading strings, strings by which children are supported when beginning to walk. — To be in leading strings, to be in a state of infancy or dependence, or under the guidance of others. — Leading wheel, a wheel situated before the driving wheels of a locomotive engine.

Leading
Lead´ing, n.
1. The act of guiding, directing, governing, or enticing; guidance. Shak.
2. Suggestion; hint; example. [Archaic] Bacon.

Leading edge
Lead"ing edge (Aëronautics) same as Advancing edge, above.

Leadsman
Leads´man, n. ; pl. Leadsmen . (Naut.) The man who heaves the lead. Totten.

Leadwort
Lead´wort, n. (Bot.) A genus of maritime herbs ( Plumbago). P. Europaea has lead-colored spots on the leaves, and nearly lead-colored flowers.

Leady
Lead´y, a. Resembling lead. Sir T. Elyot.

Leaf (lef), n. ; pl. Leaves (levz). [OE. leef, lef, leaf, AS. leáf; akin to S. lof, OFries. laf, D. loof foliage, G. laub, OHG. loub leaf, foliage, Icel. lauf, Sw. löf, Dan. löv, Goth. laufs; cf. Lith. lapas. Cf. Lodge.]
1. (Bot.) A colored, usually green, expansion growing from the side of a stem or rootstock, in which the sap for the use of the plant is elaborated under the influence of light; one of the parts of a plant which collectively constitute its foliage. Such leaves usually consist of a blade, or lamina, supported upon a leafstalk or petiole, which, continued through the blade as the midrib, gives off woody ribs and veins that support the cellular texture. The petiole has usually some sort of an appendage on each side of its base, which is called the stipule. The green parenchyma of the leaf is covered with a thin epiderm pierced with closable microscopic openings, known as stomata.
2. (Bot.) A special organ of vegetation in the form of a lateral outgrowth from the stem, whether appearing as a part of the foliage, or as a cotyledon, a scale, a bract, a spine, or a tendril. In this view every part of a plant, except the root and the stem, is either a leaf, or is composed of leaves more or less modified and transformed.
3. Something which is like a leaf in being wide and thin and having a flat surface, or in being attached to a larger body by one edge or end; as : (a) A part of a book or folded sheet containing two pages upon its opposite sides. (b) A side, division, or part, that slides or is hinged, as of window shutters, folding doors, etc. (c) The movable side of a table. (d) A very thin plate; as gold leaf. (e) A portion of fat lying in a separate fold or layer. (f) One of the teeth of a pinion, especially when small. Leaf beetle (Zoöl.), any beetle which feeds upon leaves; esp., any species of the family Chrysomelidae, as the potato beetle and helmet beetle. — Leaf bridge, a draw-bridge having a platform or leaf which swings vertically on hinges. — Leaf bud (Bot.), a bud which develops into leaves or a leafy branch. — Leaf butterfly (Zoöl.), any butterfly which, in the form and colors of its wings, resembles the leaves of plants upon which it rests; esp., butterflies of the genus Kallima, found in Southern Asia and the East Indies. — Leaf crumpler (Zoöl.), a small moth ( Phycis indigenella), the larva of which feeds upon leaves of the apple tree, and forms its nest by crumpling and fastening leaves together in clusters. — Leaf cutter (Zoöl.), any one of various species of wild bees of the genus Megachile, which cut rounded pieces from the edges of leaves, or the petals of flowers, to be used in the construction of their nests, which are made in holes and crevices, or in a leaf rolled up for the purpose. Among the common American species are M. brevis and M. centuncularis. Called also rose- cutting bee. — Leaf fat, the fat which lies in leaves or layers within the body of an animal. — Leaf flea (Zoöl.), a jumping plant louse of the family Psyllidae. — Leaf frog (Zoöl.), any tree frog of the genus Phyllomedusa. — Leaf green. (Bot.) See Chlorophyll. — Leaf hopper (Zoöl.), any small jumping hemipterous insect of the genus Tettigonia, and allied genera. They live upon the leaves and twigs of plants. See Live hopper. — Leaf insect (Zoöl.), any one of several genera and species of orthopterous insects, esp. of the genus Phyllium, in which the wings, and sometimes the legs, resemble leaves in color and form. They are common in Southern Asia and the East Indies. — Leaf lard, lard from leaf fat. See under Lard. — Leaf louse (Zoöl.), an aphid. — Leaf metal, metal in thin leaves, as gold, silver, or tin. — Leaf miner (Zoöl.), any one of various small lepidopterous and dipterous insects, which, in the larval stages, burrow in and eat the parenchyma of leaves; as the pear-tree leaf miner ( Lithocolletis geminatella). — Leaf notcher (Zoöl.), a pale bluish green beetle ( Artipus Floridanus), which, in Florida, eats the edges of the leaves of orange trees. — Leaf roller (Zoöl.), the larva of any tortricid moth which makes a nest by rolling up the leaves of plants. See Tortrix. - - Leaf scar (Bot.), the cicatrix on a stem whence a leaf has fallen. — Leaf sewer (Zoöl.), a tortricid moth, whose caterpillar makes a nest by rolling up a leaf and fastening the edges together with silk, as if sewn; esp., Phoxopteris nubeculana, which feeds upon the apple tree. — Leaf sight, a hinged sight on a firearm, which can be raised or folded down. — Leaf trace (Bot.), one or more fibrovascular bundles, which may be traced down an endogenous stem from the base of a leaf. — Leaf tier (Zoöl.), a tortricid moth whose larva makes a nest by fastening the edges of a leaf together with silk; esp., Teras cinderella, found on the apple tree. — Leaf valve, a valve which moves on a hinge. — Leaf wasp (Zoöl.), a sawfly. - - To turn over a new leaf, to make a radical change for the better in one’s way of living or doing. [Colloq.]
" They were both determined to turn over a new leaf." Richardson.

Leaf (lef), v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Leafed (left); p. pr. & vb. n. Leafing.] To shoot out leaves; to produce leaves; to leave; as the trees leaf in May. Sir T. Browne.

Leafcup
Leaf´cup, n. (Bot.) A coarse American composite weed ( Polymnia Uvedalia).

Leafed, a. Having (such) a leaf or (so many) leaves; — used in composition; as broad - leafed; four -leafed.

Leafet
Leaf´et, n. (Bot.) A leaflet.

Leaf-footed
Leaf´-foot•ed, a. (Zoöl.) Having leaflike expansions on the legs; — said of certain insects; as the leaf-footed bug ( Leptoglossus phyllopus).

Leafiness
Leaf´i•ness, n. The state of being leafy.

Leafless
Leaf´less, a. Having no leaves or foliage; bearing no foliage. "Leafless groves." Cowper. — Leaf´less•ness, n. Leafless plants, plants having no foliage, though leaves may be present in the form of scales and bracts. See Leaf, n. , 1 and 2.

Leaf-nosed
Leaf´-nosed, n. (Zoöl.) Having a leaflike membrane on the nose; — said of certain bats, esp. of the genera Phyllostoma and Rhinonycteris. See Vampire.

Leafy
Leaf´y, a. [ Compar. Leafier superl. Leafiest.]
1. Full of leaves; abounding in leaves; as the leafy forest. "The leafy month of June." Coleridge.
2. Consisting of leaves. "A leafy bed." Byron.

Leaguer
Lea´guer, n. [D. leger camp, bed, couch, lair. See Lair, and cf.Beleaguer.]
1. The camp of a besieging army; a camp in general. b. Jonson.
2. A siege or beleaguering. [R.] Sir W. Scott.

Leaguer
Lea´guer, v. t. To besiege; to beleaguer. [Obs.]

Leaguerer
Lea´guer•er, n. A besieger. [R.] J. Webster.

Leak, n. [Akin to D. lek leaky, a leak, G. leck, Icel. lekr leaky, Dan. laek leaky, a leak, Sw. läck; cf. AS. hlec full of cracks or leaky. Cf. Leak, v. ]
1. A crack, crevice, fissure, or hole which admits water or other fluid, or lets it escape; as a leak in a roof; a leak in a boat; a leak in a gas pipe. "One leak will sink a ship." Bunyan.
2. The entrance or escape of a fluid through a crack, fissure, or other aperture; as the leak gained on the ship’s pumps. To spring a leak, to open or crack so as to let in water; to begin to let in water; as the ship sprung a leak.

Leak, a. Leaky. [Obs.] Spenser.

Leak, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Leaked p. pr. & vb. n. Leaking.] [Akin to D. lekken, G. lecken, lechen, Icel. leka, Dan. laekke, Sw. läcka, AS. leccan to wet, moisten. See Leak, n. ]
1. To let water or other fluid in or out through a hole, crevice, etc.; as the cask leaks; the roof leaks; the boat leaks.
2. To enter or escape, as a fluid, through a hole, crevice, etc.; to pass gradually into, or out of, something; — usually with in or out. To leak out, to be divulged gradually or clandestinely; to become public; as the facts leaked out.

Leak, n. (Elec.) A loss of electricity through imperfect insulation; also the point at which such loss occurs.

Leakage
Leak´age, n. [Cf. D. lekkage, for sense 1.]
1. A leaking; also the quantity that enters or issues by leaking.
2. (Com.) An allowance of a certain rate per cent for the leaking of casks, or waste of liquors by leaking.

Leakage
Leak´age, n. (Elec.) A leak; also; the quantity of electricity thus wasted. { Lee´an•gle, Li´an•gle }, n. [From native name.] A heavy weapon of the Australian aborigines with a sharp-pointed end, about nine inches in length, projecting at right angles from the main part.

Leakiness
Leak´i•ness, n. The quality of being leaky.

Leaky
Leak´y, a. [ Compar. Leakier superl. Leakiest.]
1. Permitting water or other fluid to leak in or out; as a leaky roof or cask.
2. Apt to disclose secrets; tattling; not close. [Colloq.]

Lean-faced
Lean´-faced, a.
1. Having a thin face.
2. (Typog.) slender or narrow; — said of type the letters of which have thin lines, or are unusually narrow in proportion to their height. W. Savage.

Leaning
Lean´ing, n. The act, or state, of inclining; inclination; tendency; as a leaning towards Calvinism.

Leanly
Lean´ly, adv. Meagerly; without fat or plumpness.

Leanness
Lean´ness, n. [AS. hlaennes.] The condition or quality of being lean.

Lean-to
Lean´-to, a. (Arch.) Having only one slope or pitch; — said of a roof. — n. A shed or slight building placed against the wall of a larger structure and having a single-pitched roof; — called also penthouse, and to-fall.
"The outer circuit was covered as a lean-to, all round this inner apartment." De Foe.

Lean-witted
Lean´-wit•ted, a. Having but little sense or shrewdness.

Leany
Lean´y, a. Lean. [Obs.] Spenser.

Leap, n. [AS. leáp.]
1. A basket. [Obs.] Wyclif.
2. A weel or wicker trap for fish. [Prov. Eng.]

Leap, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Leaped, rarely Leapt; p. pr. & vb. n. Leaping.] [OE. lepen, leapen, AS. hleápan to leap, jump, run; akin to OS. ahlpan, OFries. hlapa, D. loopen, G. laufen, OHG. louffan, hlauffan, Icel. hlaupa, Sw. löpa, Dan. löbe, Goth. ushlaupan. Cf. Elope, Lope, Lapwing, Loaf to loiter.]
1. To spring clear of the ground, with the feet; to jump; to vault; as a man leaps over a fence, or leaps upon a horse. Bacon.
" Leap in with me into this angry flood." Shak.
2. To spring or move suddenly, as by a jump or by jumps; to bound; to move swiftly. Also Fig.
"My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky." Wordsworth.

Leap, v. t.
1. To pass over by a leap or jump; as to leap a wall, or a ditch.
2. To copulate with (a female beast); to cover.
3. To cause to leap; as to leap a horse across a ditch.

Leap, n.
1. The act of leaping, or the space passed by leaping; a jump; a spring; a bound.
"Wickedness comes on by degrees, … and sudden leaps from one extreme to another are unnatural." L’Estrange.
"Changes of tone may proceed either by leaps or glides." H. Sweet.
2. Copulation with, or coverture of, a female beast.
3. (Mining) A fault.
4. (Mus.) A passing from one note to another by an interval, especially by a long one, or by one including several other and intermediate intervals.

Leap year
Leap" year Bissextile; a year containing 366 days; every fourth year which leaps over a day more than a common year, giving to February twenty-nine days. See Bissextile. Every year whose number is divisible by four without a remainder is a leap year, excepting the full centuries, which, to be leap years, must be divisible by 400 without a remainder. If not so divisible they are common years. 1900, therefore, is not a leap year.

Leapful
Leap´ful, n. [See 1st Leap.] A basketful. [Obs.]

Lear, v. t. To learn. See Lere, to learn. [Obs.]

Lear, n. Lore; lesson. [Obs.] Spenser.

Lear, a. See Leer, a. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Lear, n. An annealing oven. See Leer, n.

Learned
Learn´ed (lern"ed), a. Of or pertaining to learning; possessing, or characterized by, learning, esp. scholastic learning; erudite; well-informed; as a learned scholar, writer, or lawyer; a learned book; a learned theory.
"The learnedlover lost no time." Spenser.
"Men of much reading are greatly learned, but may be little knowing." Locke.
"Words of learned length and thundering sound." Goldsmith. The learned, learned men; men of erudition; scholars. — Learn´ed•ly, adv. Learn´ed•ness, n.
"Every coxcomb swears as learnedly as they." Swift.

Learner
Learn´er, n. One who learns; a scholar.

Learning
Learn´ing, n. [AS. leornung.]
1. The acquisition of knowledge or skill; as the learning of languages; the learning of telegraphy.
2. The knowledge or skill received by instruction or study; acquired knowledge or ideas in any branch of science or literature; erudition; literature; science; as he is a man of great learning. Book learning. See under Book.
Syn. — Literature; erudition; lore; scholarship; science; letters. See Literature.

Leaseholder
Lease´hold•er, n. A tenant under a lease. — Lease´hold•ing, a. & n.

Leaser
Leas´er, n. [From 1st Lease.] One who leases or gleans. [Obs.] Swift.

Leaser
Leas´er, n. A liar. [Obs.] See Leasing.

Least (lest), a. [OE. last, lest, AS. laesast, laesest, superl. of laessa less. See Less, a. ] [Used as the superlative of little.] Smallest, either in size or degree; shortest; lowest; most unimportant; as the least insect; the least mercy; the least space. Least is often used with the, as if a noun.
"I am the least of the apostles." 1 Cor. xv. 9.At least, or At the least, at the least estimate, consideration, chance, etc.; hence, at any rate; at all events; even. See However.
"He who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses The tempted with dishonor." Milton.
"Upon the mast they saw a young man, at least if he were a man, who sat as on horseback." Sir P. Sidney. — In least, or In the least, in the least degree, manner, etc. "He that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." Luke xvi. 10. — Least squares (Math.), a method of deducing from a number of carefully made yet slightly discordant observations of a phenomenon the most probable values of the unknown quantities. It takes as its fundamental principle that the most probable values are those which make the sum of the squares of the residual errors of the observation a minimum.

Least, adv. In the smallest or lowest degree; in a degree below all others; as to reward those who least deserve it.

Least, conj. See Lest, conj. [Obs.] Spenser. { Least´ways•, Least´wise• } adv. At least; at all events. [Colloq.] At leastways, or At leastwise, at least. [Obs.] Fuller.

Leatherhead
Leath´er•head, n. (Zoöl.) The friar bird.

Leathern
Leath´ern, a. Made of leather; consisting of. leather; as a leathern purse. "A leathern girdle about his loins." Matt. iii. 4.

Leatherneck
Leath´er•neck, n. (Zoöl.) The sordid friar bird of Australia ( Tropidorhynchus sordidus).

Leatherwood
Leath´er•wood, n. (Bot.) A small branching shrub ( Dirca palustris), with a white, soft wood, and a tough, leathery bark, common in damp woods in the Northern United States; — called also moosewood, and wicopy. Gray.

Leathery
Leath´er•y, a. Resembling leather in appearance or consistence; tough. "A leathery skin." Grew.

Leave, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Leaved p. pr. & vb. n. Leaving] To send out leaves; to leaf; — often with out. G. Fletcher.

Leave, v. t. [See Levy.] To raise; to levy. [Obs.]
"An army strong she leaved." Spenser.

Leave, n. [OE. leve, leave, AS. leáf; akin to leóf pleasing, dear, E. lief, D. oor lof leave, G. ar laub, and er lauben to permit, Icel. leyfi. rad.124. See Lief.]
1. Liberty granted by which restraint or illegality is removed; permission; allowance; license.
"David earnestly asked leave of me." 1 Sam. xx. 6.
"No friend has leave to bear away the dead." Dryden.
2. The act of leaving or departing; a formal parting; a leaving; farewell; adieu; — used chiefly in the phrase, to take leave, i. e., literally, to take permission to go.
"A double blessing is a’double grace; Occasion smiles upon a second leave." Shak.
"And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren." Acts xviii. 18.French leave. See under French.
Syn. — See Liberty.

Leave, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Left (left); p. pr. & vb. n. Leaving.] [OE. leven, AS. lfan, fr. laf remnant, heritage; akin to lifian, libban, to live, orig., to remain; cf. be lifan to remain, G. b leiben, Goth. bi leiban. rad.119. See Live, v. ]
1. To withdraw one’s self from; to go away from; to depart from; as to leave the house.
"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife." Gen. ii. 24.
2. To let remain unremoved or undone; to let stay or continue, in distinction from what is removed or changed.
"If grape gatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes ?" Jer. xlix. 9.
"These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Matt. xxiii. 23.
"Besides it leaveth a suspicion, as if more might be said than is expressed." Bacon.
3. To cease from; to desist from; to abstain from.
"Now leave complaining and begin your tea." Pope.
4. To desert; to abandon; to forsake; hence, to give up; to relinquish.
"Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee." Mark x. 28.
"The heresies that men do leave." Shak.
5. To let be or do without interference; as I left him to his reflections; I leave my hearers to judge.
"I will leave you now to your gossiplike humor." Shak.
6. To put; to place; to deposit; to deliver; to commit; to submit — with a sense of withdrawing one’s self from; as leave your hat in the hall; we left our cards; to leave the matter to arbitrators.
"Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way." Matt. v. 24.
"The foot That leaves the print of blood where’er it walks." Shak.
7. To have remaining at death; hence, to bequeath; as he left a large estate; he left a good name; he left a legacy to his niece. To leave alone. (a) To leave in solitude. (b) To desist or refrain from having to do with; as to leave dangerous chemicals alone. — To leave off. (a) To desist from; to forbear; to stop; as to leave off work at six o’clock. (b) To cease wearing or using; to omit to put in the usual position; as to leave off a garment; to leave off the tablecloth. (c) To forsake; as to leave off a bad habit. — To leave out, to omit; as to leave out a word or name in writing. — To leave to one’s self, to let (one) be alone; to cease caring for (one). Syn>- To quit; depart from; forsake; abandon; relinquish; deliver; bequeath; give up; forego; resign; surrender; forbear. See Quit.

Leave, v. i.
1. To depart; to set out. [Colloq.]
"By the time I left for Scotland." Carlyle.
2. To cease; to desist; to leave off. "He … began at the eldest, and left at the youngest." Gen. xliv. 12.To leave off, to cease; to desist; to stop.
"Leave off, and for another summons wait." Roscommon.

Leaved, a. [From Leaf.] Bearing, or having, a leaf or leaves; having folds; — used in combination; as a four -leaved clover; a two- leaved gate; long -leaved.

Leaven
Leav´en, n. [OE. levain, levein, F. levain, L. levamen alleviation, mitigation; but taken in the sense of, a raising, that which raises, fr. levare to raise. See Lever, n. ]
1. Any substance that produces, or is designed to produce, fermentation, as in dough or liquids; esp., a portion of fermenting dough, which, mixed with a larger quantity of dough, produces a general change in the mass, and renders it light; yeast; barm.
2. Anything which makes a general assimilating (especially a corrupting) change in the mass.
"Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." Luke xii. 1.

Leaven
Leav´en, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Leavened p. pr. & vb. n. Leavening ]
1. To make light by the action of leaven; to cause to ferment.
"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." 1 Cor. v. 6.
2. To imbue; to infect; to vitiate.
"With these and the like deceivable doctrines, he leavens also his prayer." Milton.

Leavenous
Leav´en•ous, a. Containing leaven. Milton.

Leaver
Leav´er (lev"er), n. One who leaves, or withdraws.

Leaves (levz), n. , pl. of Leaf.

Leaviness
Leav´i•ness, n. [Fr. Leaf.] Leafiness.[Obs.]

Leavy
Leav´y, a. Leafy. [Obs.] Chapman. { Leb´an, Leb´ban }, n. Coagulated sour milk diluted with water; — a common beverage among the Arabs. also a fermented liquor made of the same.

Lecama
Le•ca´ma, n. (Zoöl.) The hartbeest.

Lecanomancy
Le•can´o•man•cy, n. [Gr. leka•nh bowl or basin + -mancy.] Divination practiced with water in a basin, by throwing three stones into it, and invoking the demon whose aid was sought.

Lecanoric
Lec•a•no´ric, a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid which is obtained from several varieties of lichen ( Lecanora, Roccella, etc.), as a white, crystalline substance, and is called also orsellic, or diorsellinic acid, lecanorin, etc.

Lecanorin
Lec•a•no´rin, n. (Chem.) See Lecanoric.

Lechery
Lech´er•y, n. [OE. lecherie, OF. lecherie. See Lecher.]
1. Free indulgence of lust; lewdness.
2. Selfish pleasure; delight. [Obs.] Massinger.

Lectern
Lec´tern, n. See Lecturn.

Lection
Lec´tion, n. [L. lectio, fr. legere, lectum, to read. See lesson, Legend.]
1. (Eccl.) A lesson or selection, esp. of Scripture, read in divine service.
2. A reading; a variation in the text.
"We ourselves are offended by the obtrusion of the new lections into the text." De Quincey.

Lector
Lec´tor (lek"tor), n. [L. See Lection.] (Eccl.) A reader of lections; formerly, a person designated to read lessons to the illiterate.

Lecture
Lec´ture (-tur; 135), n. [F. lecture, LL. lectura, fr. L. legere, lectum, to read. See Legend.]
1. The act of reading; as the lecture of Holy Scripture. [Obs.]
2. A discourse on any subject; especially, a formal or methodical discourse, intended for instruction; sometimes, a familiar discourse, in contrast with a sermon.
3. A reprimand or formal reproof from one having authority.
4. (Eng. Universities) A rehearsal of a lesson.

Lecture
Lec´ture, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Lectured (-turd); p. pr. & vb. n. Lecturing.]
1. To read or deliver a lecture to.
2. To reprove formally and with authority.

Lecture
Lec´ture, v. i. To deliver a lecture or lectures.

Lecturer
Lec´tur•er (-er), n. One who lectures; an assistant preacher.

Lectureship
Lec´ture•ship, n. The office of a lecturer.

Lecturn
Lec´turn (lek"turn), n. [LL. lectrinum, fr. lectrum; cf. L. legere, lectum, to read.] A choir desk, or reading desk, in some churches, from which the lections, or Scripture lessons, are chanted or read; hence, a reading desk. [Written also lectern and lettern.] Fairholt.

Lecythis
Lec´y•this (les"i•this), n. [NL., fr. Gr. 3 an oil flask.] (Bot.) A genus of gigantic trees, chiefly Brazilian, of the order Myrtaceae, having woody capsules opening by an apical lid. Lecythis Zabucajo yields the delicious sapucaia nuts. L. Ollaria produces the monkey-pots, its capsules. Its bark separates into thin sheets, like paper, used by the natives for cigarette wrappers.

Led (led), imp. & p. p. of Lead. Led captain. An obsequious follower or attendant. [Obs.] Swift. — Led horse, a sumpter horse, or a spare horse, that is led along. { Led´en (led"’n), Led´den (-d’n) } n. [AS. leden, lyden, language, speech. Cf. Leod.] Language; speech; voice; cry. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.

Ledgy
Ledg´y (-y), a. Abounding in ledges; consisting of a ledge or reef; as a ledgy island.

Lee (le), v. i., To lie; to speak falsely. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Lee, n. ; pl. Lees (lez). [F. lie, perh. fr. L. levare to lift up, raise. Cf. Lever.] That which settles at the bottom, as of a cask of liquor (esp. wine); sediment; dregs; — used now only in the plural. [Lees occurs also as a form of the singular.] "The lees of wine." Holland.
"A thousand demons lurk within the lee." Young.
"The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees Is left this vault to brag of." Shak.

Lee, n. [OE. lee shelter, Icel. hle, akin to AS. hleó, hleów, shelter, protection, OS. hlèo, D. lij lee, Sw. lä, Dan. lae.]
1. A sheltered place; esp., a place protected from the wind by some object; the side sheltered from the wind; shelter; protection; as the lee of a mountain, an island, or a ship.
"We lurked under lee." Morte d’Arthure.
"Desiring me to take shelter in his lee." Tyndall.
2. (Naut.) That part of the hemisphere, as one stands on shipboard, toward which the wind blows. See Lee, a. By the lee, To bring by the lee. See under By, and Bring. — Under the lee of, on that side which is sheltered from the wind; as to be under the lee of a ship.

Lee, a. (Naut.) Of or pertaining to the part or side opposite to that against which the wind blows; — opposed to weather; as the lee side or lee rail of a vessel. Lee gauge. See Gauge, n. (Naut.) — Lee shore, the shore on the lee side of a vessel. — Lee tide, a tide running in the same direction that the wind blows. — On the lee beam, directly to the leeward; in a line at right angles to the length of the vessel and to the leeward.

Leech (lech), n. See 2d Leach.

Leech, v. t. See Leach, v. t.

Leech, n. [Cf. LG. leik, Icel. lik, Sw. lik boltrope, stående liken the leeches.] (Naut.) The border or edge at the side of a sail. [Written also leach.] Leech line, a line attached to the leech ropes of sails, passing up through blocks on the yards, to haul the leeches by. Totten. — Leech rope, that part of the boltrope to which the side of a sail is sewed.

Leech, n. [OE. leche, laeche, physician, AS. laece; akin to Fries. letza, OHG. lahhi, Icel. laeknari, Sw. läkare, Dan. laege, Goth. lekeis, AS. lacnian to heal, Sw. läka, Dan. laege, Icel. laekna, Goth. lekinon.]
1. A physician or surgeon; a professor of the art of healing. [Written also leach.] [Archaic] Spenser.
"Leech, heal thyself." Wyclif (Luke iv. 23).
2. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous genera and species of annulose worms, belonging to the order Hirudinea, or Bdelloidea, esp. those species used in medicine, as Hirudo medicinalis of Europe, and allied species. In the mouth of bloodsucking leeches are three convergent, serrated jaws, moved by strong muscles. By the motion of these jaws a stellate incision is made in the skin, through which the leech sucks blood till it is gorged, and then drops off. The stomach has large pouches on each side to hold the blood. The common large bloodsucking leech of America ( Macrobdella decora) is dark olive above, and red below, with black spots. Many kinds of leeches are parasitic on fishes; others feed upon worms and mollusks, and have no jaws for drawing blood. See Bdelloidea. Hirudinea, and Clepsine.
3. (Surg.) A glass tube of peculiar construction, adapted for drawing blood from a scarified part by means of a vacuum. Horse leech, a less powerful European leech ( Haemopis vorax), commonly attacking the membrane that lines the inside of the mouth and nostrils of animals that drink at pools where it lives.

Leech, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Leeched (lecht); p. pr. & vb. n. Leeching.]
1. To treat as a surgeon; to doctor; as to leech wounds. [Archaic]
2. To bleed by the use of leeches.

Leef (lef), a. & adv. See Lief. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Leere (ler), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] Tape or braid; an ornament. Halliwell. Leere side, the left side, as that on which a leere or ornament was worn. B. Jonson.

Leeringly
Leer´ing•ly, adv. In a leering manner.

Lees (lez), n. pl. Dregs. See 2d Lee.

Lees (les), n. A leash. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Leese (lez), v. t. [See Lose.] To lose. [Obs.]
"They would rather leese their friend than their jest." Lord Burleigh.

Leese, v. t. [Cf. F. leser, L. laesus, p. p. of laedere.] To hurt. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Leet (let), obs. imp. of Let, to allow. Chaucer.

Leet, n. [Cf. AS. hlet share, lot.] A portion; a list, esp. a list of candidates for an office. [Scot.]

Leet, n. [LL. leta. Cf. F. lit de justice a solemn sitting of the king in Parliament, L. lis, litis, a lawsuit, It., Sp., & Pg. lite.] (Eng. Hist.) A court-leet; the district within the jurisdiction of a court-leet; the day on which a court-leet is held. Shak. The original intent of the court-leet was to view the frankpledges or freemen within the liberty; hence called the view of frankpledge. Latterly it has fallen into almost entire disuse. Burrill. Warren’s Blackstone.Leet ale, a feast or merrymaking in time of leet. [Obs.]

Leet, n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.) The European pollock.

Leetman
Leet´man (-m an), n. ; pl. Leetmen (-m en). One subject to the jurisdiction of a court-leet.

Leeward
Lee´ward (le"werd or lu"erd), a. (Naut.) Pertaining to, or in the direction of, the part or side toward which the wind blows; — opposed to windward; as a leeward berth; a leeward ship. — n. The lee side; the lee. — adv. Toward the lee.

Leeway
Lee´way (le"wa•), n. (Naut.) The lateral movement of a ship to the leeward of her course; drift.

Left (left), imp. & p. p. of Leave.

Left, a. [OE. left, lift, luft; akin to Fries. leeft, OD. lucht, luft; cf. AS. left (equiv. to L. inanis), lyftadl palsy; or cf. AS. lef weak.] Of or pertaining to that side of the body in man on which the muscular action of the limbs is usually weaker than on the other side; — opposed to right, when used in reference to a part of the body; as the left hand, or arm; the left ear. Also said of the corresponding side of the lower animals. Left bank of a river, that which is on the left hand of a person whose face is turned downstream. — Left bower. See under 2d Bower. — Left center, the members whose sympathies are, in the main, with the members of the Left, but who do not favor extreme courses, and on occasions vote with the government. They sit between the Center and the extreme Left. — Over the left shoulder, orOver the left, an old but still current colloquialism, or slang expression, used as an aside to indicate insincerity, negation, or disbelief; as he said it, and it is true, — over the left.

Left, n.
1. That part of surrounding space toward which the left side of one’s body is turned; as the house is on the left when you face North.
"Put that rose a little more to the left." Ld. Lytton.
2. Those members of a legislative assembly (as in France) who are in the opposition; the advanced republicans and extreme radicals. They have their seats at the left-hand side of the presiding officer. See Center, and Right.

Left, a. Situated so that the left side of the body is toward it; as the left side of a deliberative meeting is that to the left of the presiding officer; the left wing of an army is that to the left of the center to one facing an enemy.

Left-hand
Left´-hand (left"hand•), a. Situated on the left; nearer the left hand than the right; as the left-hand side; the left-hand road. Left-hand rope, rope laid up and twisted over from right to left, or against the sun; — called also water- laid rope.

Left-handed
Left´-hand•ed, a.
1. Having the left hand or arm stronger and more dexterous than the right; using the left hand and arm with more dexterity than the right.
2. Clumsy; awkward; unlucky; insincere; sinister; malicious; as a left-handed compliment.
"The commendations of this people are not always left-handed and detractive." Landor.
3. Having a direction contrary to that of the hands of a watch when seen in front; — said of a twist, a rotary motion, etc., looked at from a given direction. Left-handed marriage, a morganatic marriage. See Morganatic. — Left-handed screw, a screw constructed to advance away from the observer, when turned, as in a nut, with a left-handed rotation. An ordinary wood screw is right-handed. { Left´-hand•ed•ness, Left´-hand•i•ness (- i•nes), } n. The state or quality of being left-handed; awkwardness.
"An awkward address, ungraceful attitudes and actions, and a certain left-handiness (if I may use the expression) proclaim low education." Chesterfield.

Leftward
Left´ward (-werd), adv. Toward or on the left side.
"Rightward and leftward rise the rocks." Southey.

Leful
Le´ful (le"ful), a. See Leveful. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Leg bridge. A type of bridge for small spans in which the floor girders are rigidly secured at their extremities to supporting steel legs, driven into the round as piling, or resting on mudsills.

Legacy
Leg´a•cy (leg"a•sy), n. ; pl. Legacies (- siz). [L. (assumed) legatia, for legatum, from legare to appoint by last will, to bequeath as a legacy, to depute: cf. OF. legat legacy. See Legate.]
1. A gift of property by will, esp. of money or personal property; a bequest. Also Fig.; as a legacy of dishonor or disease.
2. A business with which one is intrusted by another; a commission; — obsolete, except in the phrases last legacy, dying legacy, and the like.
"My legacy and message wherefore I am sent into the world." Tyndale.
"He came and told his legacy." Chapman. Legacy duty, a tax paid to government on legacies. Wharton. — Legacy hunter, one who flatters and courts any one for the sake of a legacy.

Legalist
Le´gal•ist, n. One who practices or advocates strict conformity to law; in theology, one who holds to the law of works. See Legal, 2 (a).

Legalize
Le´gal•ize (le"g al•iz), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Legalized (- izd); p. pr. & vb. n. Legalizing (- i•zing).] [Cf. F. legaliser.]
1. To make legal.
2. (Theol.) To interpret or apply in a legal spirit.

Legantine
Le•gan´tine (le•gan"tin), a. [Obs.] See Legatine.

Legatine
Leg´a•tine (-a•tin), a.
1. Of or pertaining to a legate; as legatine power. Holinshed.
2. Made by, proceeding from, or under the sanction of, a legate; as a legatine constitution. Ayliffe.

Legation
Le•ga´tion (le•ga"shun), n. [L. legatio: cf. F. legation, It. legazione. See Legate.]
1. The sending forth or commissioning one person to act for another. "The Divine legation of Moses." Bp. Warburton.
2. A legate, or envoy, and the persons associated with him in his mission; an embassy; or, in stricter usage, a diplomatic minister and his suite; a deputation.
3. The place of business or official residence of a diplomatic minister at a foreign court or seat of government.
4. A district under the jurisdiction of a legate.

Legator
Leg•a•tor´ (leg•a•tôr"), n. [L., fr. legare: cf. OF. legateur. See Legacy.] (Law) A testator; one who bequeaths a legacy. Dryden.

Lege (lej), v. t. [Abbrev. fr. allege to assert.] To allege; to assert. [Obs.] Bp. Fisher.

Legement
Lege´ment (-m ent), n. See Ledgment.

Legendary
Leg´end•a•ry (lej"en•da•ry), a. Of or pertaining to a legend or to legends; consisting of legends; like a legend; fabulous. "Legendary writers." Bp. Lloyd.
"Legendary stories of nurses and old women." Bourne.

Legendary
Leg´end•a•ry, n. [Cf. OF. legendaire, LL. legendarius.]
1. A book of legends; a tale or narrative.
"Read the Countess of Pembroke’s "Arcadia," a gallant legendary full of pleasurable accidents." James I.
2. One who relates legends. Bp. Lavington.

Leger
Leg´er (lej"er), n. [See Ledger.]
1. Anything that lies in a place; that which, or one who, remains in a place. [Obs.]
2. A minister or ambassador resident at a court or seat of government. [Written also lieger, leiger.] [Obs.]
"Sir Edward Carne, the queen’s leger at Rome." Fuller.
3. A ledger.

Leger
Leg´er, a. Lying or remaining in a place; hence, resident; as leger ambassador.

Leger
Leg´er, a. [F. leger, fr. LL. (assumed) leviarius, fr. L. levis light in weight. See Levity.] Light; slender; slim; trivial. [Obs. except in special phrases.] Bacon. Leger line (Mus.), a line added above or below the staff to extend its compass; — called also added line.

Legerity
Le•ger´i•ty (le•jer"i•ty), n. [F. legèrete. See 3d Leger.] Lightness; nimbleness. [Archaic] Shak.

Legged (legd or leg"ged), a. [From Leg.] Having (such or so many) legs; — used in composition; as a long -legged man; a two - legged animal. { Leg•gi•a´dro (lad•je•ä"dro), Leg•gi•e´ro (lad•je•a"ro), } a. & adv. [It.] (Mus.) Light or graceful; in a light, delicate, and brisk style. { Leg´ging (leg"ging), Leg´gin (leg"gin), } n. [From Leg.] A cover for the leg, like a long gaiter.

Leghorn
Leg´horn (-hôrn), n. A straw plaiting used for bonnets and hats, made from the straw of a particular kind of wheat, grown for the purpose in Tuscany, Italy; — so called from Leghorn, the place of exportation.

Legibility
Leg•i•bil´i•ty (lej•i•bil"i•ty), n. The quality of being legible; legibleness. Sir. D. Brewster.

Legible
Leg´i•ble (lej"i•b’l), a. [L. legibilis, fr. legere to read: cf. OF. legible. See Legend.]
1. Capable of being read or deciphered; distinct to the eye; plain; — used of writing or printing; as a fair, legible manuscript.
"The stone with moss and lichens so overspread, Nothing is legible but the name alone." Longfellow.
2. Capable of being discovered or understood by apparent marks or indications; as the thoughts of men are often legible in their countenances.

Legibly
Leg´i•bly, adv. In a legible manner.

Legific
Le•gif´ic (le•jif"ik), a. [L. lex, legis, law + - ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.] Of or pertaining to making laws.
"Practically, in many cases, authority or legific competence has begun in bare power." J. Grote.

Legioned
Le´gioned (le"jund), a. Formed into a legion or legions; legionary. Shelley.

Legionry
Le´gion•ry (le"jun•ry), n. A body of legions; legions, collectively. [R.] Pollok.

Legislate
Leg´is•late (lej"is•lat), v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Legislated (- la•ted); p. pr. & vb. n. Legislating (-la•ting).] [See Legislator.] To make or enact a law or laws.
"Solon, in legislating for the Athenians, had an idea of a more perfect constitution than he gave them." Bp. Watson (1805).

Legislatively
Leg´is•la•tive•ly, adv. In a legislative manner.

Legislator
Leg´is•la•tor (lej"is•la•ter), n. [L. legis lator, prop., a proposer of a law; lex, legis, law + lator a proposer, bearer, fr. latus, used as p. p. of ferre to bear: cf. F. legislateur. See Legal, and Tolerate.] A lawgiver; one who makes laws for a state or community; a member of a legislative body.
"The legislators in ancient and heroical times." Bacon.
"Many of the legislators themselves had taken an oath of abjuration of his Majesty’s person and family." E. Phillips.

Legislatorship
Leg´is•la•tor•ship (lej"is•la•ter•ship), n. The office of a legislator. Halifax. { Leg´is•la•tress (-tres), Leg´is•la•trix (-triks), } n. A woman who makes laws. Shaftesbury.

Legislature
Leg´is•la•ture (lej"is•la•tur; 135), n. [Cf. F. legislature.] The body of persons in a state or kingdom invested with power to make and repeal laws; a legislative body.
"Without the concurrent consent of all three parts of the legislature, no law is, or can be, made." Sir M. Hale. The legislature of Great Britain consists of the Lords and Commons, with the king or queen, whose sanction is necessary to every bill before it becomes a law. The legislatures of most of the United States consist of two houses or branches; but the sanction or consent of the governor is required to give their acts the force of law, or a concurrence of two thirds of the two houses after he has refused his sanction and assigned his objections.

Legislature, n. — The legislatures of some of the more important states having constitutional government are as follows, the general name (or a translation of it) of the legislative body collectively being given under the heading legislature, or parliament: StateLegislature, or parliamentUpper House&colret;NameNumber of members — how chosen or composed — term of officeLower House&colret;NameNumber of members — suffrage — term of office ————————————————————————————————- ArgentinaNational CongressSenate30 — 2 from each provincew and 2 from capital — 9 yearsHouse of Deputies120 (1 to 33,000) — Manhood — 4 years Austria Belgium Brazil Chile Denmark France German Empire •Great BritainParliamentHouse of LordsAbout 600House of CommonsAbout 670 — 7 years, or until dissolution Greece Hungary Italy Japan Mexico Netherlands #Norway Portugal PrussiaLandtagHerrenhaus No limit — very various classes — For different termsAbgeordnetenhaus433 — Indirect election, general suffrage§ — 5 years, or until dissolution Spain Sweden Switzerland United StatesCongressSenate92(1908) — 6 yearsHouse of Representatives391 (1908) — 2 years. ———————————————————————————————— •In the self-governing colonies of Great Britain the legislative body usually consists of two chambers, the names of the legislature and the chambers varying. Thus in Australia the Federal Parliament is composed of the Senate and the House of Commons, in New Zealand the General Assembly is composed of the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives, etc. #Members of the Storthing are chosen for three years by direct election by manhood suffrage, forty-one being elected from the towns and eighty-two from the rural districts. The Storthing on assembling divides into the Lagthing including one fourth and the Odelsthing including three fourths of the total membership of the Storthing. All new laws are laid first before the Odelsthing. If the two houses do not agree they vote in joint session, a majority of two thirds of those voting being necessary to a decision. § While theoretically general, the suffrage is so classified as often practically to disfranchise those who are not property holders.

Legist
Le´gist (le"jist), n. [F. legiste, LL. legista, fr. L. lex, legis, law. See Legal.] One skilled in the laws; a writer on law. Milman. J. Morley.

Legitimateness
Le•git´i•mate•ness, n. The state or quality of being legitimate; lawfulness; genuineness.

Legitimation
Le•git•i•ma´tion (-ma"shun), n. [Cf. F. legitimation.]
1. The act of making legitimate.
"The coining or legitimation of money." East.
2. Lawful birth. [R.] Shak.

Legitimatist
Le•git´i•ma•tist (le•jit"i•ma•tist), n. See Legitimist.

Legitimism
Le•git´i•mism (-miz’m), n. The principles or plans of legitimists.

Legitimist
Le•git´i•mist (-mist), n. [Cf. F. legitimiste.]
1. One who supports legitimate authority; esp., one who believes in hereditary monarchy, as a divine right.
2. Specifically, a supporter of the claims of the elder branch of the Bourbon dynasty to the crown of France.

Legitimize
Le•git´i•mize (le•jit"i•miz), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Legitimized (-mizd); p. pr. & vb. n. Legitimizing.] To legitimate.

Leg-of-mutton
Leg´-of-mut´ton, a. Having the general shape or outline of a leg of mutton; as a leg-of- mutton, or shoulder-of-mutton, sail.

Lego-literary
Le´go-lit´er•a•ry (le"go- lit"er•a•ry), a. [See Legal, and Literary.] Pertaining to the literature of law.

Legume
Leg´ume (leg"um or le•gum"), n. [F. legume, L. legumen, fr. legere to gather. So called because they may be gathered without cutting. See Legend.]
1. (Bot.) A pod dehiscent into two pieces or valves, and having the seed attached at one suture, as that of the pea. In the latter circumstance, it differs from a siliqua, in which the seeds are attached to both sutures. In popular use, a legume is called a pod, or cod; as pea pod, or peas cod.
2. pl. The fruit of leguminous plants, as peas beans, lupines; pulse.

Leguminous
Le•gu´mi•nous (-mi•nus), a. [Cf. F. legumineux.]
1. Pertaining to pulse; consisting of pulse.
2. (Bot.) Belonging to, or resembling, a very large natural order of plants ( Leguminosae), which bear legumes, including peas beans, clover, locust trees, acacias and mimosas.

Leiger
Lei´ger (le"jer), n. [See Leger, and Ledger.] See Leger, n. , 2. [Obs.] Shak.

Leiotrichi
Lei•ot´ri•chi (-ki), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. lei^os smooth + qri•x, tricho•s, hair.] (Anthropol.) The division of mankind which embraces the smooth-haired races.

Leiotrichous
Lei•ot´ri•chous (-kus), a. [See Leiotrichi.] (Anthropol.) Having smooth, or nearly smooth, hair.

Leipothymic
Lei•po•thym´ic (li•po•thim"ik), a. See Lipothymic. { Leis´ter, Lis´ter } (lis"ter), n. A spear armed with three or more prongs, for striking fish. [Scotland]

Leisure
Lei´sure (le"zhur; 135), n. [OE. leisere, leiser, OF. leisir, F. loisir, orig., permission, fr. L. licere to be permitted. See License.]
1. Freedom from occupation or business; vacant time; time free from employment.
"The desire of leisure is much more natural than of business and care." Sir W. Temple.
2. Time at one’s command, free from engagement; convenient opportunity; hence, convenience; ease.
"He sighed, and had no leisure more to say." Dryden. At leisure. (a) Free from occupation; not busy. (b) In a leisurely manner; at a convenient time.

Leisure
Lei´sure, a. Unemployed; as leisure hours.

Leisured
Lei´sured (le"zhurd), a. Having leisure. "The leisured classes." Gladstone.

Leisurely
Lei´sure•ly (le"zhur•ly), a. Characterized by leisure; taking abundant time; not hurried; as a leisurely manner; a leisurely walk.

Leisurely
Lei´sure•ly, adv. In a leisurely manner. Addison.

Leitmotif
Leit´mo•tif´ (lit"mo•tef"), n. [G.] (Mus.) See Leading motive, under Leading, a.

Lemma
Lem´ma (lem"ma), n. ; pl. L. Lemmata (-ma•ta), E. Lemmas (-maz). [L. lemma, Gr. lh^mma anything received, an assumption or premise taken for granted, fr. lamba•nein to take, assume. Cf. Syllable.] A preliminary or auxiliary proposition demonstrated or accepted for immediate use in the demonstration of some other proposition, as in mathematics or logic.

Lemming
Lem´ming (lem"ming), n. [Nor. lemming, lemende; cf. Sw. lemel, Lapp. lummik.] (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of small arctic rodents of the genera Myodes and Cuniculus, resembling the meadow mice in form. They are found in both hemispheres. The common Northern European lemming ( Myodes lemmus) is remarkable for making occasional devastating migrations in enormous numbers from the mountains into the lowlands.

Lemnian
Lem´ni•an (lem"ni• an), a. [L. Lemnius, fr. Lemnus, Gr. Lh^mnos.] Of or pertaining to the isle of Lemnos. Lemnian bole, Lemnian earth, an aluminous earth of a grayish yellow color; sphragide; — formerly sold as medicine, having astringent properties. — Lemnian reddle, a reddle of firm consistence and deep red color; — used by artificers in coloring. { Lem•nis•ca´ta (lem•nis•ka"ta), Lem•nis´cate (lem•nis"kat), } n. [L. lemniscatus adorned with ribbons, fr. lemniscus a ribbon hanging down, Gr. lhmni•skos.] (Geom.) A curve in the form of the figure 8, with both parts symmetrical, generated by the point in which a tangent to an equilateral hyperbola meets the perpendicular on it drawn from the center.

Lemniscus
Lem•nis´cus (lem•nis"kus), n. ; pl. Lemnisci (- si). [L. See Lemniscata.] (Zoöl.) One of two oval bodies hanging from the interior walls of the body in the Acanthocephala.

Lemurid
Lem´u•rid (lem"u•rid), a. & n. (Zoöl.) Same as Lemuroid. { Le•mu´ri•dous (le•mu"ri•dus), Lem´u•rine (lem"u•rin or •rin), } a. (Zoöl.) Lemuroid.

Lemuroidea
Lem•u•roi´de•a (lem•u•roi"de•a), n. pl. [NL. See Lemur, and -oid.] (Zoöl.) A suborder of primates, including the lemurs, the aye-aye, and allied species. [Written also Lemuroida.]

Lenard rays
Le•nard" rays (Physics.) Rays emanating from the outer surface of a plate composed of any material permeable by cathode rays, as aluminium, which forms a portion of a wall of a vacuum tube, or which is mounted within the tube and exposed to radiation from the cathode. Lenard rays are similar in all their known properties to cathode rays. So called from the German physicist Philipp Lenard (b. 1862), who first described them.

Lenard tube. (Elec.) A tube for producing Lenard rays.

Lend (lend), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Lent (lent); p. pr. & vb. n. Lending.] [OE. lenen, AS. laenan, fr. laen loan; akin to G. lehnen to lend. See Loan.]
1. To allow the custody and use of, on condition of the return of the same; to grant the temporary use of; as to lend a book; — opposed to borrow.
"Give me that ring. I’ll lend it thee, my dear, but have no power To give it from me." Shak.
2. To allow the possession and use of, on condition of the return of an equivalent in kind; as to lend money or some article of food.
"Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase." Levit. xxv. 37.
3. To afford; to grant or furnish in general; as to lend assistance; to lend one’s name or influence.
"Cato, lend me for a while thy patience." Addison.
"Mountain lines and distant horizons lend space and largeness to his compositions." J. A. Symonds.
4. To let for hire or compensation; as to lend a horse or gig. This use of the word is rare in the United States, except with reference to money. To lend a hand, to give assistance; to help. [Colloq.] — To lendan ear or one’s ears, to give attention.

Lender
Lend´er (-er), n. One who lends.
"The borrower is servant to the lender. " Prov. xxii. 7.

Lendes
Lend´es (lend"ez), n. pl. See Lends. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Lends (lendz), n. pl. [AS. lend, lenden; akin to D. & G. lende, OHG. lenti, Icel. lend, and perh to E. loin.] Loins. [Obs.] Wyclif.

Lene (len), v. t. [See Lend.] To lend; to grant; to permit. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Lene
Le´ne (le"ne), a. [L. lenis smooth.] (Phonetics) (a) Smooth; as the lene breathing. (b) Applied to certain mute consonants, as p, k, and t (or Gr. π, κ, τ). W. E. Jelf.

Lene
Le´ne, n. (Phonetics) (a) The smooth breathing (spiritus lenis). (b) Any one of the lene consonants, as p, k, or t (or Gr. π, κ, τ). W. E. Jelf. { Leng´er (leng"er), Leng´est }, a. Longer; longest; — obsolete compar. and superl. of long. Chaucer.

Length (length), n. [OE. lengthe, AS. lengð, fr. lang, long, long; akin to D. lengte, Dan. laengde, Sw. längd, Icel. lengd. See Long, a. ]
1. The longest, or longer, dimension of any object, in distinction from breadth or width; extent of anything from end to end; the longest line which can be drawn through a body, parallel to its sides; as the length of a church, or of a ship; the length of a rope or line.
2. A portion of space or of time considered as measured by its length; — often in the plural.
"Large lengths of seas and shores." Shak.
"The future but a length behind the past." Dryden.
3. The quality or state of being long, in space or time; extent; duration; as some sea birds are remarkable for the length of their wings; he was tired by the length of the sermon, and the length of his walk.
4. A single piece or subdivision of a series, or of a number of long pieces which may be connected together; as a length of pipe; a length of fence.
5. Detail or amplification; unfolding; continuance as to pursue a subject to a great length.
"May Heaven, great monarch, still augment your bliss With length of days, and every day like this." Dryden.
6. Distance.[Obs.]
"He had marched to the length of Exeter." Clarendon. At length. (a) At or in the full extent; without abbreviation; as let the name be inserted at length. (b) At the end or conclusion; after a long period. See Syn. of At last, under Last. — At arm’s length. See under Arm.

Length, v. t. To lengthen. [Obs.] Shak.

Lengthen
Length´en (-’n), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Lengthened (-’nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Lengthening (-’n•ing).] To extent in length; to make longer in extent or duration; as to lengthen a line or a road; to lengthen life; — sometimes followed by out.
"What if I please to lengthen out his date." Dryden.

Lengthen
Length´en, v. i. To become longer. Locke.

Lengthful
Length´ful (-ful), a. Long. [Obs.] Pope.

Lengthily
Length´i•ly (-i•ly), adv. In a lengthy manner; at great length or extent.

Lengthiness
Length´i•ness, n. The state or quality of being lengthy; prolixity. { Length´ways• (-waz•), Length´wise• (- wiz•), } adv. In the direction of the length; in a longitudinal direction.

Lengthy
Length´y (-y), a. [ Compar. Lengthier (-i•er); superl. Lengthiest.] Having length; rather long or too long; prolix; not brief; — said chiefly of discourses, writings, and the like. "Lengthy periods." Washington. "Some lengthy additions." Byron. "These would be details too lengthy." Jefferson. "To cut short lengthy explanations." Trench. { Le´ni•ence (le"ni• ens or len"y ens; 106), Le´ni•en•cy (le"ni• en•sy or len"y en•sy), } n. The quality or state of being lenient; lenity; clemency.

Leniently
Le´ni•ent•ly, adv. In a lenient manner.

Lenify
Len´i•fy (len"i•fi), v. t. [L. lenis soft, mild + -fy: cf. F. lenifier.] To assuage; to soften; to mitigate; to alleviate. Bacon. Dryden.

Leniment
Len´i•ment (-m ent), n. [L. lenimentum: cf. OF. leniment. See Lenient.] An assuasive. [Obs.]

Lenitiveness
Len´i•tive•ness, n. The quality of being lenitive.

Lenitude
Len´i•tude (-tud), n. [L. lenitudo.] The quality or habit of being lenient; lenity. [Obs.] Blount.

Lenity
Len´i•ty (-ty), n. [L. lenitas, fr. lenis soft, mild: cf. OF. lenite. See Lenient.] The state or quality of being lenient; mildness of temper or disposition; gentleness of treatment; softness; tenderness; clemency; — opposed to severity and rigor.
"His exceeding lenity disposes us to be somewhat too severe." Macaulay.
Syn. — Gentleness; kindness; tenderness; softness; humanity; clemency; mercy.

Leno
Le´no (le"no), n. [Cf. It. leno weak, flexible.] A light open cotton fabric used for window curtains.

Lenocinant
Le•noc´i•nant (le•nos"i•n ant), a. [L. lenocinans, p. pr. of lenocinari to pander, cajole; akin to leno pimp.] Given to lewdness. [Obs.]

Lens (lenz), n. ; pl. Lenses (-ez). [L. lens a lentil. So named from the resemblance in shape of a double convex lens to the seed of a lentil. Cf. Lentil.] (Opt.) A piece of glass, or other transparent substance, ground with two opposite regular surfaces, either both curved, or one curved and the other plane, and commonly used, either singly or combined, in optical instruments, for changing the direction of rays of light, and thus magnifying objects, or otherwise modifying vision. In practice, the curved surfaces are usually spherical, though rarely cylindrical, or of some other figure. Lenses Of spherical lenses, there are six varieties, as shown in section in the figures herewith given: viz., a plano-concave; b double-concave; c plano-convex; d double- convex; e converging concavo-convex, or converging meniscus; f diverging concavo-convex, or diverging meniscus. Crossed lens (Opt.), a double-convex lens with one radius equal to six times the other. — Crystalline lens. (Anat.) See Eye. — Fresnel lens (Opt.), a compound lens formed by placing around a central convex lens rings of glass so curved as to have the same focus; used, especially in lighthouses, for concentrating light in a particular direction; — so called from the inventor. — Multiplyinglens or glass (Opt.), a lens one side of which is plane and the other convex, but made up of a number of plane faces inclined to one another, each of which presents a separate image of the object viewed through it, so that the object is, as it were, multiplied. — Polyzonal lens. See Polyzonal.

Lentando
Len•tan´do (lan•tän"do; E. len•tan"do), a. [It., p. pr. of lentare to make slow. See Lent, a. ] (Mus.) Slackening; retarding. Same as Rallentando.

Lenticel
Len´ti•cel (len"ti•sel), n. [F. lenticelle, dim. fr. L. lens, lentis, a lentil. Cf. Lentil.] (Bot.) (a) One of the small, oval, rounded spots upon the stem or branch of a plant, from which the underlying tissues may protrude or roots may issue, either in the air, or more commonly when the stem or branch is covered with water or earth. (b) A small, lens-shaped gland on the under side of some leaves.

Lenticelle
Len•ti•celle´ (len•ti•sel"), n. [F.] (Bot.) Lenticel.

Lenticula
Len•tic´u•la (len•tik"u•la), n. ; pl. E. Lenticulas (- laz), L. Lenticulae (-le). [L. See Lenticel.]
1. (Med.) A kind of eruption upon the skin; lentigo; freckle.
2. (Opt.) A lens of small size.
3. (Bot.) A lenticel.

Lentiform
Len´ti•form (len"ti•fôrm), a. [L. lens, lentis, lentil + - form: cf. F. lentiforme.] Lenticular.

Lentiginose
Len•tig´i•nose (len•tij"i•nos•), a. [See Lentiginous.] (Bot.) Bearing numerous dots resembling freckles.

Lentil
Len´til (len"til), n. [F. lentille, fr. L. lenticula, dim. of lens, lentis, lentil. Cf. Lens.] (Bot.) A leguminous plant of the genus Ervum ( Ervum Lens), of small size, common in the fields in Europe. also its seed, which is used for food on the continent. The lentil of the Scriptures probably included several other vetchlike plants. Lentil shell (Zoöl.), a small bivalve shell of the genus Ervillia, family Tellinidae. { Len•tis´cus (len•tis"kus), Len´tisk (len"tisk), } n. [L. lentiscus, lentiscum: cf. F. lentisque.] (Bot.) A tree; the mastic. See Mastic.

Lentoid
Len´toid (len"toid), a. [ Lens + -oid.] Having the form of a lens; lens- shaped.

Lentor
Len´tor (-tor), n. [L., fr. lentus pliant, tough, slow. See Lent, a. ]
1. Tenacity; viscidity, as of fluids.
2. Slowness; delay; sluggishness. Arbuthnot.

Leon
Le´on (le"on), n. A lion. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Leonced
Le´onced (le"onst), a. (Her.) See Lionced.

Leonid
Le´o•nid (le"o•nid), n. [From Leo: cf. F. leonides, pl.] (Astron.) One of the shooting stars which constitute the star shower that recurs near the fourteenth of November at intervals of about thirty-three years; — so called because these shooting stars appear on the heavens to move in lines directed from the constellation Leo.

Leopardwood
Leop´ard•wood, n. (Bot.) See Letterwood.

Lepal
Lep´al (lep"al), n. [Gr. lepi•s a scale: cf. F. lepale.] (Bot.) A sterile transformed stamen.

Lepas
Le´pas (le"pas), n. [L., a limpet, fr. Gr. lepa•s.] (Zoöl.) Any one of various species of Lepas, a genus of pedunculated barnacles found attached to floating timber, bottoms of ships, Gulf weed, etc.; — called also goose barnacle. See Barnacle.

Lepered
Lep´ered (-erd), a. Affected or tainted with leprosy.

Leperize
Lep´er•ize (lep"er•iz), v. t. To affect with leprosy.

Leperous
Lep´er•ous (-er•us), a. Leprous; infectious; corrupting; poisonous. "The leperous distillment." Shak.

Lepid
Lep´id (-id), a. [L. lepidus.] Pleasant; jocose. [R.]
"The joyous and lepid consul." Sydney Smith.

Lepidine
Lep´i•dine (lep"i•din or •den), n. (Chem.) An organic base, C₉H₆.N.CH₃, metameric with quinaldine, and obtained by the distillation of cinchonine.

Lepidodendrid
Lep•i•do•den´drid (lep•i•do•den"drid), n. (Paleon.) One of an extinct family of trees allied to the modern club mosses, and including Lepidodendron and its allies.

Lepidodendroid
Lep•i•do•den´droid (-droid), a. (Paleon.) Allied to, or resembling, Lepidodendron. — n. A lepidodendrid.

Lepidodendron
Lep•i•do•den´dron (-dron), n. [NL., fr. Gr. lepi•s -i•dos, a scale + de•ndron tree.] (Paleon.) A genus of fossil trees of the Devonian and Carboniferous ages, having the exterior marked with scars, mostly in quincunx order, produced by the separation of the leafstalks.

Lepidoganoid
Lep•i•do•ga´noid (lep•i•do•ga"noid or -gan"oid), n. [Gr. lepi•s -i•dos, a scale + E. ganoid.] (Zoöl.) Any one of a division ( Lepidoganoidei) of ganoid fishes, including those that have scales forming a coat of mail. Also used adjectively.

Lepidolite
Le•pid´o•lite (le•pid"o•lit; 277), n. [Gr. lepi•s -i•dos, a scale + -lite: cf. F. lepidolithe.] (Min.) A species of mica, of a lilac or rose-violet color, containing lithia. It usually occurs in masses consisting of small scales. See Mica.

Lepidoptera
Lep•i•dop´te•ra (-dop"te•ra), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. lepi•s - i•dos, a scale + ptero•n a feather, wing.] (Zoöl.) An order of insects, which includes the butterflies and moths. They have broad wings, covered with minute overlapping scales, usually brightly colored. They have a tubular proboscis, or haustellum, formed by the two slender maxillae. The labial palpi are usually large, and the proboscis, when not in use, can be coiled up spirally between them. The mandibles are rudimentary. The larvae, called caterpillars, are often brightly colored, and they commonly feed on leaves. The adults feed chiefly on the honey of flowers. { Lep•i•dop´ter•al (-ter• al), Lep•i•dop´ter•ous (-us), } a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Lepidoptera.

Lepidopterist
Lep•i•dop´ter•ist, n. (Zoöl.) One who studies the Lepidoptera.

Lepidosauria
Lep•i•do•sau´ri•a (-do•sa"ri•a), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. lepi•s - i•dos, a scale + say^ros a lizard.] (Zoöl.) A division of reptiles, including the serpents and lizards; the Plagiotremata.

Lepidosiren
Lep•i•do•si´ren (-si"ren), n. [Gr. lepi•s -i•dos, a scale + seirh•n a siren.] (Zoöl.) An eel- shaped ganoid fish of the order Dipnoi, having both gills and lungs. It inhabits the rivers of South America. The name is also applied to a related African species ( Protopterus annectens). The lepidosirens grow to a length of from four to six feet. Called also doko. { Lep´i•dote (lep"i•dot), Lep´i•do•ted (-do•ted), } a. [Gr. lepidwto•s covered with scales, fr. lepi•s -i•dos, a scale.] (Bot.) Having a coat of scurfy scales, as the leaves of the oleaster.

Lepisma
Le•pis´ma (le•piz"ma), n. [NL., fr. Gr. le•pisma peel, fr. lepi•s -i•dos, a scale.] (Zoöl.) A genus of wingless thysanurous insects having an elongated flattened body, covered with shining scales and terminated by seven unequal bristles. A common species ( Lepisma saccharina) is found in houses, and often injures books and furniture. Called also shiner, silver witch, silver moth, and furniture bug.

Lepismoid
Le•pis´moid (-moid), a. [ Lepisma + -oid.] (Zoöl.) Like or pertaining to the Lepisma.

Leporine
Lep´o•rine (lep"o•rin or - rin), a. [L. leporinus, fr. lepus, leporis, hare. See Leveret.] (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to a hare; like or characteristic of, a hare.

Leprose
Lep´rose (lep"ros•), a. [See Leprous.] (Nat. Hist.) Covered with thin, scurfy scales.

Leprosy
Lep´ro•sy (lep"ro•sy), n. [See Leprous.] (Med.) A cutaneous disease which first appears as blebs or as reddish, shining, slightly prominent spots, with spreading edges. These are often followed by an eruption of dark or yellowish prominent nodules, frequently producing great deformity. In one variety of the disease, anaesthesia of the skin is a prominent symptom. In addition there may be wasting of the muscles, falling out of the hair and nails, and distortion of the hands and feet with destruction of the bones and joints. It is incurable, and is probably contagious. The disease now called leprosy, also designated as Lepra or Lepra Arabum, and Elephantiasis Graecorum, is not the same as the leprosy of the ancients. The latter was indeed, a generic name for many varieties of skin disease (including our modern leprosy, psoriasis, etc.), some of which, among the Hebrews, rendered a person ceremonially unclean. A variety of leprosy of the Hebrews (probably identical with modern leprosy) was characterized by the presence of smooth, shining, depressed white patches or scales, the hair on which participated in the whiteness, while the skin and adjacent flesh became insensible. It was an incurable disease.

Leptiform
Lep´ti•form (-ti•fôrm), a. [ Leptus + -form.] (Zoöl.) Having a form somewhat like leptus; — said of active insect larvae having three pairs of legs. See Larva.

Leptodactylous
Lep•to•dac´tyl•ous (-us), a. Having slender toes.

Leptology
Lep•tol´o•gy (lep•tol"o•jy), n. [Gr. leptologi•a; lepto•s small, subtile + lo•gos discourse.] A minute and tedious discourse on trifling things.

Leptomeningitis
Lep•to•men•in•gi´tis (lep•to•men•in•ji"tis), n. [NL., fr. Gr. lepto•s small + meningitis.] (Med.) Inflammation of the pia mater or of the arachnoid membrane.

Leptorhine
Lep´to•rhine (lep"to•rin or •rin), a. [Gr. lepto•s small + "ri•s, "rino•s, the nose.] (Anat.) Having the nose narrow; — said esp. of the skull. Opposed to platyrhine.

Leptostraca
Lep•tos´tra•ca (lep•tos"tra•ka), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. lepto•s thin, slender + ’o•strakon shell of a testacean.] (Zoöl.) An order of Crustacea, including Nebalia and allied forms.

Leptothrix
Lep´to•thrix (lep"to•thriks), n. [NL., fr. Gr. lepto•s small + qri•x hair.] (Biol.) A genus of bacteria, characterized by having their filaments very long, slender, and indistinctly articulated.

Leptothrix
Lep´to•thrix, a. [See Leptothrix, n. ] (Biol.) Having the form of a little chain; — applied to bacteria when, as in multiplication by fission, they form a chain of filiform individuals.

Lered
Ler´ed (ler"ed), a. [From lere, v. t.] Learned. [Obs.] " Lewed man or lered." Chaucer.

Lernaea
Ler•nae´a (ler•ne"a), n. [NL., fr. L. Lernaeus Lernaean, fr. Lerna, Gr. Le•rnh, a forest and marsh near Argos, the mythological abode of the hydra.] (Zoöl.) A Linnaean genus of parasitic Entomostraca, — the same as the family Lernaeidae. The genus is restricted by modern zoölogists to a limited number of species similar to Lernaea branchialis found on the gills of the cod.

Lernaeacea
Ler•nae•a´ce•a (ler•ne•a"she•a), n. pl. [NL. See Lernaea.] (Zoöl.) A suborder of copepod Crustacea, including a large number of remarkable forms, mostly parasitic on fishes. The young, however, are active and swim freely. See Illustration in Appendix.

Les (les), n. A leash. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Lesbian
Les´bi•an (les"bi• an), a. Of or pertaining to the island anciently called Lesbos, now Mitylene, in the Grecian Archipelago.

Lesbian
Les´bi•an, a. Amatory; erotic; — in allusion to the reputed sensuality of the Lesbian people and literature; as Lesbian novels.

Lesbian love. See Lesbianism.

Lese (lez), v. t. To lose. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Lese-majesty
Lese•-maj´es•ty (-maj"es•ty), n. See Leze majesty.

Less (les), conj. Unless. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Less, a. [OE. lesse, AS. laessa; akin to OFries. lessa; a compar. from a lost positive form. Cf. Lesser, Lest, Least. Less has the sense of the comparative degree of little.] Smaller; not so large or great; not so much; shorter; inferior; as a less quantity or number; a horse of less size or value; in less time than before. The substantive which less qualifies is often omitted; as the purse contained less (money) than ten dollars. See Less, n.
"Thus in less [time] than a hundred years from the coming of Augustine, all England became Christian." E. A. Freeman.

Less, adv. [AS. laes. See Less, adj. , and cf. Lest.] Not so much; in a smaller or lower degree; as less bright or loud; less beautiful.

Less, n.
1. A smaller portion or quantity.
"The children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less." Ex. xvi. 17.
2. The inferior, younger, or smaller.
"The less is blessed of the better." Heb. vii. 7.

Less, v. t. To make less; to lessen. [Obs.] Gower.

Lessee
Les•see´ (les•se"), n. [F. laisse, p. p. of laisser. See Lease, v. t.] (Law) The person to whom a lease is given, or who takes an estate by lease. Blackstone.

Lessener
Less´en•er (-er), n. One who, or that which, lessens.
"His wife … is the lessener of his pain, and the augmenter of his pleasure." J. Rogers (1839).

Lesser
Less´er (-er), a. [This word is formed by adding anew the compar. suffix -er (in which r is from an original s) to less. See Less, a. ] Less; smaller; inferior.
"God made … the lesser light to rule the night." Gen. i. 15. Lesser is used for less, now the compar. of little, in certain special instances in which its employment has become established by custom; as Lesser Asia (i. e., Asia Minor), the lesser light, and some others; also in poetry, for the sake of the meter, and in prose where its use renders the passage more euphonious.
"The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace." Shak.
"The larger here, and there the lesser lambs." Pope.
"By the same reason may a man, in the state of nature, punish the lesser breaches of the law." Locke.

Lesser
Less´er, adv. Less. [Obs.] Shak.

Lesses
Les´ses (les"sez), n. pl. [F. laissees, from laisser to leave. See Lease, v. t.] The leavings or dung of beasts.

Let (let), v. t. [OE. letten, AS. lettan to delay, to hinder, fr. laet slow; akin to D. letten to hinder, G. verletzen to hurt, Icel. letja to hold back, Goth. latjan. See Late.] To retard; to hinder; to impede; to oppose. [Archaic]
"He was so strong that no man might him let." Chaucer.
"He who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." 2. Thess. ii. 7.
"Mine ancient wound is hardly whole, And lets me from the saddle." Tennyson.

Let, n.
1. A retarding; hindrance; obstacle; impediment; delay; — common in the phrase without let or hindrance, but elsewhere archaic. Keats.
"Consider whether your doings be to the let of your salvation or not." Latimer.
2. (Lawn Tennis) A stroke in which a ball touches the top of the net in passing over.

Let, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Let (Letted (let"ted), [Obs].); p. pr. & vb. n. Letting.] [OE. leten, laeten (past tense lat, let, p. p. laten, leten, lete), AS. laetan (past tense let, p. p. laeten); akin to OFries. leta, OS. latan, D. laten, G. lassen, OHG. lazzan, Icel. lata, Sw. låta, Dan. lade, Goth. letan, and L. lassus weary. The original meaning seems to have been, to let loose, let go, let drop. Cf. Alas, Late, Lassitude, Let to hinder.]
1. To leave; to relinquish; to abandon. [Obs. or Archaic, except when followed by alone or be.]
"He … prayed him his voyage for to let." Chaucer.
"Yet neither spins nor cards, ne cares nor frets, But to her mother Nature all her care she lets." Spenser.
"Let me alone in choosing of my wife." Chaucer.
2. To consider; to think; to esteem. [Obs.] Chaucer.
3. To cause; to make; — used with the infinitive in the active form but in the passive sense; as let make, i. e., cause to be made; let bring, i. e., cause to be brought. [Obs.]
"This irous, cursed wretch Let this knight’s son anon before him fetch." Chaucer.
"He … thus let do slay hem all three." Chaucer.
"Anon he let two coffers make." Gower.
4. To permit; to allow; to suffer; — either affirmatively, by positive act, or negatively, by neglecting to restrain or prevent. In this sense, when followed by an infinitive, the latter is commonly without the sign to; as to let us walk, i. e., to permit or suffer us to walk. Sometimes there is entire omission of the verb; as to let [to be or to go] loose.
"Pharaoh said, I will let you go." Ex. viii. 28.
"If your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is." Shak.
5. To allow to be used or occupied for a compensation; to lease; to rent; to hire out; — often with out; as to let a farm; to let a house; to let out horses.
6. To give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or contract; — often with out; as to let the building of a bridge; to let out the lathing and the plastering. The active form of the infinitive of let, as of many other English verbs, is often used in a passive sense; as a house to let ( i. e., for letting, or to be let). This form of expression conforms to the use of the Anglo-Saxon gerund with to (dative infinitive) which was commonly so employed. See Gerund, 2. " Your elegant house in Harley Street is to let." Thackeray. In the imperative mood, before the first person plural, let has a hortative force. " Rise up, let us go." Mark xiv. 42. " Let us seek out some desolate shade." Shak. To let alone, to leave; to withdraw from; to refrain from interfering with. — To let blood, to cause blood to flow; to bleed. — To let down. (a) To lower. (b) To soften in tempering; as to let down tools, cutlery, and the like. — To letdrive or fly, to discharge with violence, as a blow, an arrow, or stone. See under Drive, and Fly. — To let in or into. (a) To permit or suffer to enter; to admit. (b) To insert, or imbed, as a piece of wood, in a recess formed in a surface for the purpose. To let loose, to remove restraint from; to permit to wander at large. — To let off. (a) To discharge; to let fly, as an arrow; to fire the charge of, as a gun. (b) To release, as from an engagement or obligation. [Colloq.] — To let out. (a) To allow to go forth; as to let out a prisoner. (b) To extend or loosen, as the folds of a garment; to enlarge; to suffer to run out, as a cord. (c) To lease; to give out for performance by contract, as a job. (d) To divulge. — To let slide, to let go; to cease to care for. [Colloq.] " Let the world slide." Shak.

Let, v. i.
1. To forbear. [Obs.] Bacon.
2. To be let or leased; as the farm lets for $500 a year. See note under Let, v. t.To let on, to tell; to tattle; to divulge something. [Low] — To let up, to become less severe; to diminish; to cease; as when the storm lets up. [Colloq.]

Leten
Let´en (let"en), obs. p. p. of Lete. Chaucer.

Lethality
Le•thal´i•ty (le•thal"i•ty), n. [Cf. F. lethalite.] The quality of being lethal; mortality. { Le•thar´gic (le•thär"jik), Le•thar´gic•al (-ji•k al), } a. [L. lethargicus, Gr. lhqargiko•s: cf. F. lethargique. See Lethargy.] Pertaining to, affected with, or resembling, lethargy; morbidly drowsy; dull; heavy. — Le•thar´gic•al•ly, adv. — Le•thar´gic•al•ness, n. — Le•thar´gic•ness, n.

Lethe
Le´the (le"the or leth), n. [See Lethal.] Death.[Obs.] Shak.

Lethe
Le´the (le"the), n. [L., fr. Gr. lh•qh, prop., forgetfulness; akin to lanqa•nesqai to forget, lanqa•nein to escape notice.]
1. (Class. Myth.) A river of Hades whose waters when drunk caused forgetfulness of the past.
2. Oblivion; a draught of oblivion; forgetfulness.

Lethean
Le•the´an (le•the"an), a. [L. Lethaeus, Gr. lh•qaios or lhqai^os.] Of or pertaining to Lethe; resembling in effect the water of Lethe. Milton. Barrow.

Letheed
Le´theed (le"thed), a. Caused by Lethe. " Letheed dullness." [Obs.] Shak.

Letheon
Le´the•on (le"the•on), n. [NL., fr. Gr. lh•qh.] (Med.) Sulphuric ether used as an anaesthetic agent. [R.]

Letheonize
Le´the•on•ize (-iz), v. t. To subject to the influence of letheon. [R. or Obs.]

Lethiferous
Le•thif´er•ous (le•thif"er•us), a. [L. lethifer, letifer, fr. lethum, letum, death + ferre to bear, to bring: cf. F. lethifère.] Deadly; bringing death or destruction.

Lethy
Le´thy (le"thy), a. Lethean. [Obs.] Marston.

Let-off
Let´-off (let"of•; 115), n. (Mach.) A device for letting off, releasing, or giving forth, as the warp from the cylinder of a loom.

Lette
Let´te (let"t e), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Letted.] To let; to hinder. See Let, to hinder. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Lettered
Let´tered (let"terd), a.
1. Literate; educated; versed in literature. " Are you not lettered?" Shak.
"The unlettered barbarians willingly accepted the aid of the lettered clergy, still chiefly of Roman birth, to reduce to writing the institutes of their forefathers." Milman.
2. Of or pertaining to learning or literature; learned. " A lettered education." Collier.
3. Inscribed or stamped with letters. Addison.

Letterer
Let´ter•er (let"ter•er), n. One who makes, inscribes, or engraves, alphabetical letters.

Lettergram
Let´ter•gram, n. See Letter, above.

Letterless
Let´ter•less (let"ter•les), a.
1. Not having a letter.
2. Illiterate. [Obs.] E. Waterhouse.

Lettern
Let´tern (let"tern), n. See Lecturn.

Letterure
Let´ter•ure (-ur), n. Letters; literature. [Obs.] "To teach him letterure and courtesy." Chaucer.

Letterwood
Let´ter•wood (-wood•), n. (Bot.) The beautiful and highly elastic wood of a tree of the genus Brosimum ( B. Aubletii), found in Guiana; — so called from black spots in it which bear some resemblance to hieroglyphics; also called snakewood, and leopardwood. It is much used for bows and for walking sticks.

Lettic
Let´tic (let"tik), a. (a) Of or pertaining to the Letts; Lettish. (b) Of or pertaining to a branch of the Slavic family, subdivided into Lettish, Lithuanian, and Old Prussian. — n. (a) The language of the Letts; Lettish. (b) The language of the Lettic race, including Lettish, Lithuanian, and Old Prussian.

Lettish
Let´tish (let"tish), a. Of or pertaining to the Letts. — n. The language spoken by the Letts. See Lettic.

Lettuce
Let´tuce (let"tis), n. [OE. letuce, prob. through Old French from some Late Latin derivative of L. lactuca lettuce, which, according to Varro, is fr. lac, lactis, milk, on account of the milky white juice which flows from it when it is cut: cf. F. laitue. Cf. Lacteal, Lactucic.] (Bot.) A composite plant of the genus Lactuca ( L. sativa), the leaves of which are used as salad. Plants of this genus yield a milky juice, from which lactucarium is obtained. The commonest wild lettuce of the United States is L. Canadensis. Hare’s lettuce, Lamb’s lettuce. See under Hare, and Lamb. - - Lettuce opium. See Lactucarium. - - Sea lettuce, certain papery green seaweeds of the genus Ulva.

Let-up
Let´-up (let"up•), n. [See Let to forbear.] Abatement; also cessation; as it blew a gale for three days without any let-up. [Colloq.]

Leucaniline
Leu•can´i•line (lu•kan"i•lin or -len), n. [ Leuc- + aniline.] (Chem.) A colorless, crystalline, organic base, obtained from rosaniline by reduction, and also from other sources. It forms colorless salts.

Leuchaemia
Leu•chae´mi•a (lu•ke"mi•a), n. [NL., fr. Gr. leyko•s white + a"i^ma blood.] (Med.) See Leucocythaemia. — Leu•chaem´ic (lu•kem"ik), a. [Written also leukaemia, leukaemic.] { Leu´cic (lu"sik), Leu•cin´ic (lu•sin"ik), } a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained from leucin, and called also oxycaproic acid.

Leucite
Leu´cite (lu"sit), n. [Gr. leyko•s white: cf. F. leucite.]
1. (Min.) A mineral having a glassy fracture, occurring in translucent trapezohedral crystals. It is a silicate of alumina and potash. It is found in the volcanic rocks of Italy, especially at Vesuvius.
2. (Bot.) A leucoplast.

Leucitic
Leu•cit´ic (lu•sit"ik), a. (Min.) Containing leucite; as leucitic rocks.

Leucitoid
Leu´ci•toid (lu"si•toid), n. [ Leucite + -oid.] (Crystallog.) The trapezohedron or tetragonal trisoctahedron; — so called as being the form of the mineral leucite. { Leu´co- (lu"ko-), Leuc- (luk- ). } [Gr. leyko•s white.] A combining form signifying white, colorless; specif. (Chem.), denoting an extensive series of colorless organic compounds, obtained by reduction from certain other colored compounds; as leucaniline, leucaurin, etc.

Leucocyte
Leu´co•cyte (lu"ko•sit), n. [ Leuco- + Gr. ky•tos a hollow vessel.] (Physiol.) A colorless corpuscle, as one of the white blood corpuscles, or those found in lymph, marrow of bone, connective tissue, etc. They all consist of more or less spherical masses of protoplasm, without any surrounding membrane or wall, and are capable of motion. { Leu•co•cy•thae´mi•aLeu•co•cy•the´mi•a } (lu•ko•si•the"mi•a), n. [NL., fr. Gr. leyko•s white + ky•tos a hollow vessel + a"i^ma blood.] (Med.) A disease in which the white corpuscles of the blood are largely increased in number, and there is enlargement of the spleen, or the lymphatic glands; leuchaemia.

Leucocytogenesis
Leu•co•cy•to•gen´e•sis (- si•to•jen"e•sis), n. [ Leucocyte + genesis.] (Physiol.) The formation of leucocytes.

Leucoethiopic
Leu•co•e•thi•op´ic (- e•thi•op"ik), a. [ Leuco- + Ethiopic.] White and black; — said of a white animal of a black species, or the albino of the negro race.

Leucoethiops
Leu•co•e´thi•ops (-e"thi•ops), n. [ Leuco- + Aethiops.] An albino. [Also written leucœthiops.]

Leucoline
Leu´co•line (lu"ko•lin or -len), n. [ Leuc- + L. oleum oil.] (Chem.) A nitrogenous organic base from coal tar, and identical with quinoline. Cf. Quinoline.

Leucomaine
Leu•co´ma•ine (lu•ko"ma•in or - en), n. [ Leuco- + -maine, as in ptomaine.] (Physiol. Chem.) An animal base or alkaloid, appearing in the tissue during life; hence, a vital alkaloid, as distinguished from a ptomaine or cadaveric poison.

Leuconic
Leu•con´ic (-kon"ik), a. [ Leuc- + croc onic.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, a complex organic acid, obtained as a yellowish white gum by the oxidation of croconic acid.

Leucopathy
Leu•cop´a•thy (lu•kop"a•thy), n. [ Leuco- + Gr. pa•schein, paqei^n to suffer.] The state of an albino, or of a white child of black parents.

Leucophane
Leu´co•phane (lu"ko•fan), n. [Gr. leykofanh•s appearing bright or white; leyko•s white + fai•nein to show: cf. G. leukophan.] (Min.) A mineral of a greenish yellow color; it is a silicate of glucina, lime, and soda with fluorine. Called also leucophanite.

Leucophlegmacy
Leu•co•phleg´ma•cy (lu•ko•fleg"ma•sy), n. [Gr. leykoflegmati•a; leyko•s white + fle•gma phlegm: cf. F. leucophlegmasie.] (Med.) A dropsical habit of body, or the commencement of anasarca; paleness, with viscid juices and cold sweats.

Leucophlegmatic
Leu•co•phleg•mat´ic (-fleg•mat"ik), a. [Cf. F. leucophlegmatique, Gr. leykofle•gmatos.] Having a dropsical habit of body, with a white bloated skin.

Leucophyll
Leu´co•phyll (lu"ko•fil), n. [ Leuco- + Gr. fy•llon a leaf.] (Chem.) A colorless substance isomeric with chlorophyll, contained in parts of plants capable of becoming green. Watts.

Leucophyllous
Leu•coph´yl•lous (lu•kof"il•lus or lu•ko•fil"lus), a. [Gr. leyko•fyllos; leyko•s white + fy•llon a leaf.] (Bot.) Having white or silvery foliage. { Leu´co•plast (lu"ko•plast), Leu•co•plas´tid (-plas"tid), } n. [ Leuco- + Gr. pla•ssein to mold.] (Bot.) One of certain very minute whitish or colorless granules occurring in the protoplasm of plants and supposed to be the nuclei around which starch granules will form.

Leucopyrite
Leu•cop´y•rite (lu•kop"i•rit), n. [ Leuco- + pyrites.] (Min.) A mineral of a color between white and steel-gray, with a metallic luster, and consisting chiefly of arsenic and iron.

Leucorrhœa
Leu•cor•rhœ"a (lu•kor•re"a), n. [ Leuco- + Gr. "rei^n to flow.] (Med.) A discharge of a white, yellowish, or greenish, viscid mucus, resulting from inflammation or irritation of the membrane lining the genital organs of the female; the whites. Dunglison.

Leucoryx
Leu´co•ryx (lu"ko•riks), n. [NL., from Gr. leyko•s + ’o•ryx a kind of gazelle.] (Zoöl.) A large antelope of North Africa ( Oryx leucoryx), allied to the gemsbok.

Leucoscope
Leu´co•scope (lu"ko•skop), n. [ Leuco- + -scope.] (Physics) An instrument, devised by Professor Helmholtz, for testing the color perception of the eye, or for comparing different lights, as to their constituent colors or their relative whiteness.

Leucosoid
Leu´co•soid (-soid), a. [NL. Leucosia, the typical genus (fr. Gr. leyko•s white) + -oid.] (Zoöl.) Like or pertaining to the Leucosoidea, a tribe of marine crabs including the box crab or Calappa.

Leucosphere
Leu´co•sphere (-sfer), n. [ Leuco- + sphere.] (Astron.) The inner corona. [R.]

Leucoturic
Leu•co•tu´ric (lu•ko•tu"rik), a. [ Leuco- + allan toic + uric.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, a nitrogenous organic substance of the uric acid group, called leucoturic acid or oxalantin. See Oxalantin.

Leucoxene
Leu•cox´ene (lu•koks"en), n. [ Leuco- + Gr. xe•nos stranger.] (Min.) A nearly opaque white mineral, in part identical with titanite, observed in some igneous rocks as the result of the alteration of titanic iron.

Leukaemia
Leu•kae´mi•a (lu•ke"mi•a), n. Leucocythaemia.

Leuke (luk), a. , Leuke´ness, n. See Luke, etc.

Levant
Le´vant (le"v ant), a. [F., p. pr. of lever to raise.] (Law) Rising or having risen from rest; — said of cattle. See Couchant and levant, under Couchant.

Levant
Le•vant´ (le•vant"), n. [It. levante the point where the sun rises, the east, the Levant, fr. levare to raise, levarsi to rise: cf. F. levant. See Lever.]
1. The countries washed by the eastern part of the Mediterranean and its contiguous waters.
2. A levanter (the wind so called).

Levant
Le´vant (le"v ant; 277), a. Eastern. [Obs.]
"Forth rush the levant and the ponent winds." Milton.

Levant
Le•vant´ (le•vant"), v. i. [Cf. Sp. levantar to raise, go from one place to another.] To run away from one’s debts; to decamp. [Colloq. Eng.] Thackeray.

Levanter
Le•vant´er (le•vant"er), n. [From Levant, v. ] One who levants, or decamps. [Colloq. Eng.]

Levanter
Le•vant´er, n. [From Levant, n. ] A strong easterly wind peculiar to the Mediterranean. W. H. Russell.