Print › L_gre

labile: likely to change; unstable; Ex. emotionally labile; N. lability
laborious: demanding much work or care; tedious
labyrinth: maze
laceration: torn ragged wound; V. lacerate: tear ; wound
lachrymose: producing tears; tearful
lackadaisical: lacking interest or effort; lacking purpose or zest; lazy; halfhearted; languid
lackluster: lacking luster; dull
laconic: brief and to the point; using few words; terse
laggard: slow; sluggish; N: one who lags; straggler
lagoon: shallow body of water or lake near a sea; lake separated from a sea by sandbars or coral reefs
laity: laypersons; laymen; persons not connected with the clergy
lament: grieve; express sorrow; N. lamentation
lampoon: ridicule; N: written attack ridiculing or satirizing a person, group, or institution
lancet: small surgical tool for making incisions
languid: lacking energy or vitality; weary; sluggish; listless
languish: lose animation or strength
languor: lack of physical or mental energy; lassitude; depression
lank: long and thin; Ex. Lank, gaunt, Abraham Lincoln
lap: take in food or drink with one's tongue; splash gently; Ex. waves lapping the shore; N: front area from the waist to the knees of a seated person
larceny: theft; Ex. petit larceny
larder: pantry; place where food is kept
largess: generous gift
lascivious: lustful
lassitude: languor; weariness; listlessness
latent: present but not yet noticeable or active; dormant; hidden; N. latency; CF. potential
lateral: of or coming from the side
latitude: freedom from narrow limitations
laud: praise; N. ADJ. laudable: praiseworthy; ADJ. laudatory: expressing praise
lavish: liberal; wasteful; generous or wasteful in giving or using; abundant; profuse; great; Ex. decorated lavishly; V. give in abundance
lax: careless; negligent; not paying enough attention; Ex. lax service
leaven: add leaven to; cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven; N: agent, such as yeast, that causes dough to rise ; element that lightens or enlivens
lechery: gross lewdness; lustfulness; ADJ. lecherous; N. lecher: lecherous man
lectern: reading desk or stand for a public speaker
leery: suspicious; wary; cautious
leeway: room to move; margin; latitude; Ex. leeway for the deadline
legacy: gift made by a will; something handed down from an ancestor
legend: explanatory list of symbols on a map
legerdemain: sleight of hand; CF. light of hand
leniency: mildness; permissiveness; ADJ. lenient: not severe in judgment or punishment
leonine: like a lion
lethal: deadly
lethargic: drowsy; dull; N. lethargy: state of sluggishness and inactivity
levee: earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding; CF. raise
levitate: rise and float in the air ; CF. light
levity: lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity; lightness of manner
levy: impose ; collect ; impose or collect ; Ex. levy a tax on tobacco
lewd: lustful
lexicographer: compiler of a dictionary; CF. lexicography: work of compiling a dictionary
lexicon: dictionary
liability: drawback; handicap; debts; obligation; responsibility; condition of being liable; ADJ. liable: likely; responsible
liaison: contact that keeps parties in communication; communication between groups; one that maintains communication; go-between; secret love affair; V. liaise: keep a connection
libel: defamatory written statement; act of writing something that smears a person"s character; V. ADJ. libelous
libertine: debauched person; dissolute or licentious person; roue; CF. free
libidinous: lustful
libido: psychic and emotional energy or urges behind human activity; sexual desire
libretto: text of an opera or oratorio; CF. book
licentious: amoral; lewd and lascivious; unrestrained
lien: legal claim or right on a property
ligneous: like wood
lilliputian: extremely small; CF. Lilliput in Gulliver"s Travels
limber: flexible; supple; pliable; V.
limbo: region near heaven or hell where certain souls are kept; prison ; Ex. Purgatory and Limbo
limn: draw; outline; describe; CF. line ?
limpid: crystal clear
lineage: descent; ancestry
lineaments: features especially of the face; distinctive shape or contour of the face; CF. line
linguistic: pertaining to language
listless: lacking in spirit or energy; languid
litany: supplicatory prayer; prayer in which the priest calls out and the people replies in the same words
lithe: flexible; supple; CF. limber
litigation: lawsuit; N. litigant: one party in a lawsuit; V. litigate
litotes: understatement for emphasis; Ex. ``not bad""
livid: lead-colored; black and blue ; ashen; enraged; extremely angry
loath: reluctant; unwilling; disinclined; Ex. Romeo and Juliet were both loath for him to go.
loathe: detest; ADJ. loathsome: arousing loathing; offensive; Ex. loathsome smell
lode: metal-bearing vein
lofty: very high
log: record of a voyage or flight; record of day-to-day activities; section of a trunk; V.
loiter: hang about/around; stand idly about; linger
loll: lounge about
longevity: long life; long duration
loom: appear or take shape ; Ex. The shadow of the gallows loomed threateningly. N: apparatus for making thread into cloth
lope: gallop slowly
loquacious: talkative; N. loquacity
lout: clumsy person; ADJ. loutish; CF. from countrysides ?
low: moo; make the sound of a cow
lucid: easily understood; clear; intelligible; N. lucidity
lucrative: profitable; producing wealth
lucre: money; profit; Ex. filthy lucre
ludicrous: laughable; ridiculous; trifling
lugubrious: mournful; sorrowful
lull: moment of calm; period of reduced activity; Ex. a lull in the rain; V: cause to become less active; cause to sleep or rest; Ex. lull the opponents into a false sense of security; CF. lullaby
lumber: move heavily or clumsily; Ex. The bear lumbered through the woods; N: timber
lumen: unit of light energy
luminary: celebrity ; dignitary; object that gives light
luminous: shining ; issuing light; Ex. luminous paint/road signs
lunar: pertaining to the moon
lurid: wild; sensational; graphic; gruesome; horrible; Ex. lurid details of the murder
lurk: stealthily lie in waiting; slink; exist unperceived
luscious: pleasing to taste or smell; delicious
luster: shine; gloss
lustrous: shining; brilliant; Ex. lustrous hair
luxuriant: abundant; growing healthily and in large amounts; excessively ornate; rich and splendid; fertile; Ex. luxuriant forests/prose; CF. luxurious, luxuriate