lapstone n. stone placed in lap against which shoemaker beat and stretched leather archaic
lapstrake adj. clinker-built, having a hull with overlapping planks; a vessel built thusly nautical
lapwing n. large plover
largophone n. musical instrument made of a long wooden pole with jingles attached, played by shaking or pounding or with another smaller notched stick (also lagerphone)
larrikin n. (Australian) hooligan, (usu. young) street tough
larrup v. to flog, beat, thrash
LAT relationship n. “Living Alone Together”, of couples in long-term relationships who still maintain separate residences and often lives apart from one another idiom
latitudinarian adj. tolerant, allowing great latitude in attitude (esp. of religious principles); lax, lacking necessary rigidity in views
laund n. glade, grassy pasture amidst woods
lavalier n. (also lavaliere) jeweled pendant worn on chain around the neck
laver n. basin for washing, as of hands; baptismal font
lawn n. fine linen fabric
lawny adj. covered in grass
lazarette n. hospital for contagious patients, esp. lepers; glory hole, storeroom aboard ship set within the hull
lazarine adj. back from the dead; of or related to a specific type of ulcerating leprosy
lazaroidal adj. of or related to lepers
lazzarone n. beggar, wretched person; member of poorer class in Naples
leach v. to lose soluble components through percolation
league n. unit of distance of varying measure in different places or times, usu. calculated as roughly 3 miles
leaguer n. siege; one who besieges
leat n. open watercourse dug to provide water for mill or mine, etc.
leather gun n. early light cannon of the 1640s & 1650s, where toughened leather wrappings were placed around the more portable smaller barrel in an attempt to give it stability
leery adj. suspicious, wary
left-footed adj. Catholic, esp. an Irish Catholic, from supposed use of poor Irishmen of single-sided spades for digging slang
legendry n. legends in a collective sense, mythologies
legicentric adj. organized around and dedicated to the supremacy of statutes and the law
leitmotif n. (music) theme associated with particular person, idea, or situation
leman n. lover; mistress archaic
lemniscus n. bundle of white nerve fibers in brainstem
lenify v. to soothe; to soften
lenity n. mildness, mercifulness; instance of mercifulness or gentleness
leper’s squint n. opening through external wall of church through which lepers could view religious services
lèse-majesté n. crime against dignity of the sovereign or the state, treason; offense against established order
leukophorytocracy n. rule or government by white trash
leveret n. young hare; pet, mistress
levin n. lightning, bright flash of light archaic
lex talionis n. legal principle that the punishment should be commensurate to the crime Latin
lexeme n. basic lexical unit, which may appear in actual language in different forms due to inflection, tense, number, etc.
liberty bodice n. sleeveless bodice originally created as a less constrictive alternative to corsets
libration n. oscillatory motion, as of a scale at point of balance or the apparent movement of a heavenly body
lich gate n. small roofed gate to a churchyard
lickerish adj. overfond of eating, greedy; lecherous, wanton
lido n. public outdoor swimming pool; beach allocated for swimmers British
ligate v. to tie up, to bind with a ligature
ligyrophobia n. fear of loud noises
limber n. second pair of wheels on an axle behind which a field gun or caisson is hauled
limen n. threshold of perception or response
limn v. to draw, to depict; to describe, to delineate
limonite n. hydrous iron oxide
limpid adj. clear
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